Guidance & Procedures for McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons

Local educational agencies (LEAs) are required to ensure that the rights and services guaranteed in the McKinney-Vento Act are implemented for all students experiencing homelessness. All LEAs must follow the requirements of the McKinney-Vento Act, regardless of if they have are a recipient of an Education of Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) subgrant.

The LEA's McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison is required to develop, review, revise policies and procedures to remove barriers to the identification, enrollment, and retention of students experiencing homelessness (42 U.S.C. § 11432(g)(1)(I)), ESSA Arizona State Plan (K)(1); (K)(6)). Required in all LEAs regardless of subgrant status, the Liaison is the primary contact between homeless families, school and LEA staff, shelter workers, and other service providers.

The ADE Office of the Coordinator has developed the following guidance documents and sample forms for use by Liaisons to ensure they are in compliance with the McKinney-Vento Act and the ESSA Arizona State Plan. All documents are intended for use as a sample and may be adapted for use at your LEA. If you would like to edit a sample document, plese refer to the Instructions for Converting Sample Documents for LEA Use guidance document.

Please check back frequently for additions and revisions.

New Resource!

We are excited to announce a new and highly requested guidance document, the LEA Homeless Education Program Guidance Documents and Forms List! The information in this document has been compiled to help support Liaisons as they endeavor to establish and conduct policies, practices, and procedures to ensure the removal of barriers for homeless children and youth within their LEA. This comprehensive list organizes all of the available sample documents found on this site with a description, corresponding statute, and link to each sample document.

Local Educational Agency Liaison Duties

Additional Resources

Dispute Resolution Forms

ADE Homeless Education Program Dispute Resolution Procedure (Student/Family vs. LEA)
- This form shall be used by the parent, guardian, or unaccomanied homeless youth AFTER the appeal process has been completed and a determination has been made at the LEA (school district/charter) level. If the parent, guardian, or unaccompanied homeless youth have not filed an appeal with the LEA (school district/charter), they must request that first. Please contact your Homeless Liaison to obtain assistance. A list of all Arizona Homeless Liaisons organized by school district (LEA) can be found by clicking here.
ADE Homeless Education Program Dispute Resolution LEA vs. LEA
- This form shall be used by McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons in the event of an LEA vs. LEA dispute. This form outlines the process to file a request for dispute resolution, as a dispute may occur between two LEAs regarding eligibility, school selection, enrollment, or transportation of a child or youth experiencing homelessness. Please note, if you are not the Homeless Liaison, please consult with the Homeless Liaison prior to submitting this form.

Sample Dispute Resoution Procedure

LEA-Level Dispute Resolution Procedure & Form (ADE Sample)
- All LEAs are required to have a written dispute resolution policy for homeless education at the LEA level that reinforces the state dispute resolution policy to facilitate efficient and expedient resolutions to disputes. This sample document will help LEAs to ensure their dispute resolution policies align with the ADE HEP.

Additional Resources