Texas Education for Homeless Children and Youth (TEHCY) Program
All Texas public schools, charter schools, and education services centers, collectively known as local education agencies (LEAs), must follow federal rules concerning the education of homeless students. These requirement are detailed in the McKinney-Vento Act, all LEAs.
Homeless Education Liaisons
Every Local Education Agency must designate an appropriate staff person as a local homeless education liaison and submit that person's name to the Texas Education Agency (TEA). This information is to be submitted to the AskTED online directory by the LEA's AskTED administrator. AskTED is TEA's online Texas Education Directory (TED). AskTED is the database where homeless education liaison's contact information is maintained.
The Texas Education for Homeless Children and Youth (TEHCY) Liaison Directory has been imported into the AskTED directory. Your AskTED administrator does not have to resubmit the LEA's homeless education liaison's information if they were previously listed in the TEHCY directory. If you discover information that is out of date or incorrect, updates and/or changes regarding the homeless education liaison's contact information must be submitted to TEA through each LEA's AskTED administrator.
The information in the TEHCY website directory is updated periodically from the AskTED directory. LEAs are no longer required to input this information directly to the TEHCY directory.
To learn how to use AskTED access homeless education liaison contact information directly, download the PDF instructions.
Additional Resources
Local Educational Agency Liaisons Fact Sheet
Local Homeless Education Liaisons: Important Information for New Liaisons
The Educational Rights of Students in Homeless Situations: What District Administrators Should Know
Homeless Student Identification
Every LEA must identify students experiencing homelessness within their district. This process must be done regularly and in a way that is auditable. In Texas, most districts choose to use a student residency questionnaire to help determine whether or not students qualify as homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act.
Additional Resources
Student Residency Questionnaire (English and Spanish)
McKinney-Vento Posters
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has released new McKinney-Vento Posters. There are two versions of the poster, one to assist parents of school-age youth and a second to assist unaccompanied youth. The posters are available in both English and Spanish.
Local Education Agencies (LEAs) can download the digital files below and post this information on their LEA homeless education program webpage.
LEAs should collaborate with their school staff and community partners (e.g. food pantries, faith-based organizations, local housing authorities, shelters, etc.) to share printed copies of this poster.
McKinney-Vento Posters for Parents English Version
McKinney-Vento Posters for Parents Spanish Version
McKinney-Vento Posters for Youth English Version
McKinney-Vento Posters for Youth Spanish Version
Homeless Student Enrollment
Students who are experiencing homelessness are to be enrolled immediately. Districts cannot require students experiencing homelessness to provide proof of residency, immunizations, birth certificates guardianship documents, or any other sort of required paperwork before enrolling. Requiring missing paperwork or any other delay to enrollment is a violation of the McKinney-Vento Act.
Additional Resources
FAQ on Immunization Requirements for School Admittance
Prompt and Proper Placement: Enrolling Students without Records
Homeless Student School Determination
Students who are experiencing homelessness have the right to attend school in their school of origin or in the school in the attendance area where the family or youth is currently residing. School of origin is defined as the school in which the child/youth was enrolled when they became homeless, or the school in which the child/youth was last enrolled. The campus a child attends is determined by which campus can serve the best interests of the child. In Texas a student experiencing homelessness may enroll in any district they choose, regardless of the location of their residence, school of origin or attendance zone campus.
Additional Resources
School Selection Provisions from the McKinney-Vento Act and the Texas Education Code
Checklist for McKinney-Vento School Choice Considerations
Dispute Resolution
Disagreements over school enrollment and best interest determinations must be resolved through the dispute resolution process. While in the dispute resolution process the child is entitled to attend the campus in question until the matter is resolved.
Additional Resources
Dispute Resolution Process Regarding the Educational Placement of Homeless Children and Youth
Sample Dispute Resolution Notification Letter
Transportation
Students experiencing homelessness have the right to transportation to their school of origin. This provision applies even if a student moves outside of the school of origins’ attendance zone or district boundaries. School of origin transportation must continue for the duration of the child’s homelessness or until the end of the school year in which a child becomes permanently housed.
Additional Resources
Transportation Questions and Answers
Title I Services
Students experiencing homelessness who are not on a Title-I campus are eligible to receive Title-I services.
These services are provided at the discretion of the LEA through existing Title-I programs or through the use of Title-I, Part A set-aside funds for students who are not on Title-I campuses. Students on Title-I campuses may receive additional supplemental services to the services being provided on their campus through the Title-I, Part A set-asides as well. Services may include: personal school supplies, items of clothing that are necessary to meet a school’s dress requirement, immunizations, supplemental counseling services, tutoring, costs associated with credit recovery, or other similar activities to address a child’s opportunity for school success.
For more information about homeless students, services, and opportunities, please visit the Texas Education for Homeless Children and Youth website.
Cal Lopez
McKinney-Vento Homeless Education State Coordinator
Highly Mobile and At-Risk Student Programs Division
Texas Education for Homeless Children and Youth (TEHCY) Program
(512) 463-9414
HomelessEducation@tea.texas.gov