How can a liaison ensure that school staff are properly trained in McKinney-Vento requirements?
School districts can use professional development funds to provide McKinney-Vento training to all staff. Staff trained should include administrators and teaching staff, but should also include school lunch workers, administrative assistants and secretaries, and registrars, as these are often the people who come into first contact with homeless children, are responsible for enrolling them, and are the gatekeepers to educational services. The best training programs would include local resources, such as shelter directors or other emergency assistance providers. For example, a school district could host a training session that is provided in a shelter within the school district’s area highlighting all the community’s homeless shelters, as well as alternative shelter locations used by local families.
