Required updates on how the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District provides education to homeless students will be broached at Thursday’s Board of Education meeting.
A recent Federal Program Monitoring audit determined that the board’s policy and exhibits related to homelessness education have not been updated since 2009, and the administrative regulation has not been updated since 2016, which was the impetus for the revisions. Discussion will be held on the subject at Thursday’s meeting, with official changes to be approved by the board during its Oct. 19 meeting.
California Department of Education (CDE) code states that when there are at least 15 students experiencing homelessness in a district, the district’s local control and accountability plan (LCAP) should include goals and specific actions to improve achievement and outcomes for those students. The updated board policy states that "the identification of students experiencing homelessness is critical to improving the educational outcomes of such students and ensuring that students experiencing homelessness have access to the same free and appropriate public education provided to other students within the district."
The updated policy addresses a litany of subjects regarding these students. The policy states that the district Superintendent shall designate "an appropriate staff person" to serve as a liaison for homeless children and youths, assisting in "identifying and supporting" such students. To identify students experiencing homelessness, an annual housing questionnaire will be developed by the CDE to all parents and guardians of district students.
Placement of those students in SMMUSD schools will be "based on the student’s best interest." The updated administrative regulation defines "best interest" as giving consideration to factors such as educational stability and "the opportunity to be educated in the least restrictive educational settings necessary to achieve academic progress."
Language in the updated policy is sensitive to the students’ needs, stating that those experiencing homelessness shall be provided comparable services to other students. This includes transportation, educational programs, career and technical education, along with school nutrition programs. Home-to-school transportation and other transportation fees shall be waived for these students, according to the education code.
For extracurricular activities, students experiencing homelessness will also have the same access as other students, including participation in California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) sporting events.
The board will also be adopting two resolutions at Thursday’s meeting. The first is a resolution in support of October as "safe schools month," with the resolution laying out what SMMUSD does to combat crisis situations. The district holds regular safety drills as prescribed in school site and district emergency plans, and continues to work with local community partners to develop policies and programs "that foster and support a positive school climate, free from harassment and violence."
The other resolution is an acknowledgment of Oct. 8-14 as "Week of the School Administrator."
