At Needles Unified School District we are committed to creating a safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environment for all students, including those who are homeless or in foster care. We recognize that homelessness and foster care can create significant barriers to education, and we are committed to providing support and resources to help our homeless and foster youth thrive. 

The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children and youth as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This definition also includes: 

• Children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason

• Children and youth who may be living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, shelters

• Children and youth who lack a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings

• Children and youth who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings, or

• Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are children who are living in similar circumstances listed above

   

The McKinney-Vento act is designed to address the issues that youth experiencing homelessness have faced in enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school. Under this program, State educational agencies (SEAs) must ensure that each homeless child and youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including public preschool education, as other children and youth. Homeless children and youth should have access to the educational and other services that they need to enable them to meet the same challenging State student academic achievement standards to which all students are held. In addition, homeless students may not be separated from the mainstream school environment. States and districts are required to review and undertake steps to revise laws, regulations, practices, or policies that may act as a barrier to the enrollment, attendance, or success in school of homeless children and youth.

The program is authorized under Title VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 USC 11431 et seq.), (McKinney-Vento Act). The program was originally authorized in 1987 and, most recently, reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. 

The Needles Unified School District supports the education of Homeless and Foster Youth through our dedicated staff in the Outreach department. We follow the guidelines set forth by the California Department of Education, and our mission is to provide students with access to educational services, enrollment assistance, transportation (when appropriate), and assistance with clothing, food, and community resources. We believe that every student has the right to a free and appropriate public education, regardless of their housing status or background. We will continue to work closely with families, community organizations, and the CDE to provide the resources and services that our homeless and foster youth need to succeed in school and beyond.

Local School District Homeless Liaisons: 

 Amy Avila
Assistant Superintendent/Principal/Homeless and Foster Youth Liason
Phone: (760) 326-2191
Email: amy_avila@needlesusd.net