Homeless Services

The McKinney Vento program helps children and youth who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. This includes children and youth who are:

Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason
Living in motels or campgrounds due to the lack of alternative living accommodations
Living in emergency or transitional shelters
Abandoned in hospitals
Living in places that are not regular sleeping accommodations for people, such as cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations or similar settings
Migratory children and youth living in any of the above situations

What We Do

As homeless education facilitators, we:

Locate and enroll students in the McKinney Vento program
Coordinate transportation to student’s “school of origin”
Communicate to each school regularly about McKinney Vento eligible students currently enrolled in their building and contact teachers and/or school officials about developing issues
Serve as a liaison between the school, parents, students and community agencies to meet the educational needs of students
Accumulate statistics about the mobility of homeless students
Visit school buildings to support students, staff and parents with any issues/concerns
Network with other community agencies and programs involved with homelessness to coordinate advocacy efforts and link community services
Assist in obtaining educational documents and records
Ensure that children and youth, including unaccompanied youth, enroll and have a full and equal opportunity to succeed in school

For more information: District level contacts are generally the first stop for more information. There are a number of people in the district who can answer questions about your child’s education and McKinney Vento support. You may contact your child’s school counselor or the district McKinney Vento Homeless Liaison/Special Services Director (Suzanne McKibbon) at 509-464-5526 or by e-mail at suzanne.mckibbon@dpsdmail.org If these local contacts are unable to answer your questions, your next level of support can be found at OSPI, which has program supervisors to assist you with questions about McKinney Vento Homeless Services. You may reach OSPI’s Homeless Education Department at 360-725-6505, or by e-mailing – homelessed@k12.wa.us

District Guidelines & Procedures

Deer Park School District has adopted policies and procedures regarding Education for Homeless Children and Youth.
Deer Park School District’s board of directors also has adopted policies and procedures for the placement of homeless children and youth.
Find the dispute resolution form here
Find the Deer Park School District Dispute Resolution Policy here.

Resources for Parents

Educational Rights & Resolutions

The McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth Assistance Act is a federal law that ensures immediate enrollment and educational stability for homeless children and youth. The U.S. Department of Education has issued information and guidance for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth.

Rights & Resolutions

Students who live in transitional situations have the right to:

stay in their school even if they move out of the school district. Students can also finish the current school year in their school even if they find permanent housing during that school year.
immediately enroll, attend classes and participate fully in school activities in the local school in the area where they are living, without proof of residency, immunization records or other medical records, school records, or other documents.
the elimination of barriers for a student’s full participation in school and school related activities (i.e. school fees, required supplies).
get transportation to their “school of origin” provided or arranged by the school district, or a joint effort between school districts.
attend school district provided preschool programs.
access all school services including free school meals, services for English language learners, special education, Title I services, vocational/technical education, gifted and talented services, and before- and after-school care/programs as needed.
have disagreements with the school settled quickly and go to the school they choose while disagreements are settled. Washington State has a uniform policy and procedure for dispute resolution. See above for a link to this service.
a free Child Find evaluation to assess developmental status. Contact Special Services at 509-464-5521 for more information.

Deer Park School District