Announcing Local Educational Agency Homeless Liaison and Keeping Maine’s Children Connected Liaison Training Dates

INFORMATIONAL LETTER NO: 30
POLICY CODE: GCID

TO: Superintendents of Schools
FROM: Angela Faherty, Ph.D., Commissioner of Education
DATE: September 14, 2010
RE: Announcing Local Educational Agency Homeless Liaison and Keeping Maine’s Children Connected Liaison Training Dates

Subtitle B of Title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.), amended and reauthorized as part of the No Child Left Behind Act, requires that “local educational agencies will designate an appropriate staff person, who may also be coordinator for other Federal programs, as a local education agency liaison for homeless children and youth.” Training sessions for local liaisons for homeless children and youth will be held September through November.

Participants will receive training pertaining to:

local implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act;
identification of homeless children and youth in their school administrative units
conducting sessions to raise awareness of and sensitivity to homeless issues with staff and students, and
ensuring the enrollment and educational participation of homeless children and unaccompanied youth.

The training sessions are integrated training for school homeless liaisons and Keeping Maine’s Children Connected liaisons. Keeping Maine’s Children Connected is a Children’s Cabinet initiative which helps youth who experience educational disruption due to homelessness, foster care placement, in-patient psychiatric care and correctional facility placement. The initial training is designed for new liaisons and for those who have not been previously trained. Cross training provides the opportunity for sharing of youth practices and policies across agencies. Since the liaisons in schools may be the same person for both positions, the training is now integrated.

The training session dates and locations are:

Portland, Department of Health and Human Services, 1037 Forest Avenue
9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. September 15, 2010

Augusta, Department of Health and Human Services, 35 Anthony Avenue
9:15 a.m.-3:15 p.m. September 21, 2010

Bangor, Dept. of Health and Human Services, 176 Hogan Road, 2nd Floor, Conference Room 2
10:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. October 6, 2010

Machias, Department of Health and Human Services, 38 Prescott Street
8:15 a.m.-1:00 p.m. October 7, 2010

Presque Isle, Presque Isle Career Center, 66 Spruce Street
8:15 a.m.-1 p.m. October 28, 2010

In addition, two-hour regional meetings are held twice a year in the Fall and Spring for a discussion on general information and updates on issues and polices affecting youth who have experienced school disruption due to homelessness, foster care placement, in-patient psychiatric care, and correctional facility placement.

The Fall Regional Liaison Meetings dates and locations are as follows:

Machias, Department of Health and Human Services, 38 Prescott Street
1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. October 7, 2010

Biddeford, Department of Health and Human Services, 208 Graham Street
10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. October 19, 2010

Bangor, Wings Office, 900 Hammond Street, Suite 915
11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. October 27, 2010

Presque Isle, Presque Isle Career Center, 66 Spruce Street
1:00 p.m.-3:00p.m. October 28, 2010

Augusta, Department of Health and Human Services, 35 Anthony Avenue
10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. November 3, 2010

Auburn, Auburn Superintendent Office, Auburn Hall, 60 Court Street
9:00 a.m.-11:30 p.m. November 30, 2010

Please confirm attendance with Alisha Targonski at 624-6772 or alisha.targonski@maine.gov . For additional information contact Shelley Reed, Homeless Education Coordinator, Department of Education, 23 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0023, telephone 624-6637 or e-mail at shelley.reed@maine.gov .