Q. Does every school district have to have a liaison?
A. Yes. The McKinney-Vento Act requires every local educational agency (school district) to "designate an appropriate staff person" to serve as liaison. 42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(1)(J)(ii).
Q. What are the liaison's duties?
A. The McKinney-Vento Act specifies the duties of liaisons, as follows: identify homeless children and youth; ensure that children and youth experiencing homelessness enroll in, and have a full and fair opportunity to succeed in, school; ensure that families, children and youth receive educational services for which they are eligible, including Head Start, Even Start and other public preschool programs, and referrals to health care, dental, mental health and other appropriate services; inform parents and guardians of the educational and related opportunities available to their children and provide them with meaningful opportunities to participate in that education; disseminate public notice of educational rights; ensure that enrollment disputes are mediated; inform families and youth about transportation services and assist them in accessing transportation. Many resources are available to assist liaisons in accomplishing these duties, including a liaison toolkit and issue briefs (www.serve.org/nche), State Coordinators (www.serve.org/nche/Statecoordinators.htm), and an annual conference (www.naehcy.org). 42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(6)(A).
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