Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Title IX, Part A McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act

McKinney-Vento Contact Information

Office of Federal and State Accountability
McKinney-Vento State Coordinator
Birley Wright
1429 Senate Street
Columbia, SC 29201
Phone: 803-734-8563
Email: bwright@ed.sc.gov

McKinney-Vento Education Associate
Kim Humphrey
Phone: 803-734- 3759
Email: khumphrey@ed.sc.gov

McKinney-Vento Program

Title IX, Part A McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (McKinney-Vento) is authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015. McKinney-Vento ensures that students who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence due to loss of housing due to economic hardship or a similar reason are provided a free, public education. McKinney-Vento Act ensures the educational rights and protection for children and youth experiencing homelessness and includes:

• The right to immediate enrollment in school even without giving a permanent address
• The right to attend school and fully participate in school activities in the school of origin, or in the school in the attendance area where the family or youth is currently residing  
• The right to receive transportation to and from the school of origin
• The right to services comparable to those received by housed schoolmates
• The right to attend school along with children not experiencing homelessness

The SCDE program office provides training, technical assistance, and monitoring, as well as federal funding through a competitive grant process to support school district McKinney-Vento programs. South Carolina school districts identified 11,906 McKinney-Vento students during the 2020–21 academic year. Every school district is required to have a McKinney-Vento liaison to identify and assist students and their families with enrollment.

Liaison List

South Carolina McKinney-Vento Data

The U.S. Department of Education's EDFacts Initiative collects, analyzes, and promotes the use of high-quality, PreK-12 data. This data can be used to:

• Support planning, policymaking, and budget decision-making.
• Centralize data provided by state education agencies.
• Collect data on district and school demographics, program participation, and performance data.

Click here to see the most recent South Carolina Data

Quick Resources

• Noncompetitive Procurements with Federal Funds *NEW*
• What is Noncompetitive Procurement? *NEW*
• McKinney Vento Non-Regulatory Guidance
• Flowchart for McKinney-Vento Eligibility Determinations
• Homeless Liaison Toolkit
• National Center for Homeless Education Resources
• State and District education data collected by the U.S. Department of Education
• Notification of Enrollment Decision Form: This form should be completed by the receiving school when an enrollment request is denied.
• Written Appeal of Enrollment Decision: This form is to be completed by the parent, guardian, caretaker, or unaccompanied youth when a dispute arises. This information may be shared verbally with the local liaison, as an alternative to completing this form.
• SC Dispute Resolution Procedures: R 43-272.2, State-Level Resolution Process for Disputes Involving Unaccompanied Youth and Homeless Children.
• McKinney Vento Budget Amendment Request Form