Jefferson City School District

Educating Missouri's Homeless Children

The McKinney-Vento Act, part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), guarantees homeless children and youth an education equal to what they would receive if not homeless.

Who is Homeless?

According to the McKinney-Vento Act, homeless children and youth include individuals who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.  This includes the following situations:

• Sharing the housing of others (known as doubling-up) due to loss of housing or economic hardship
• Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks or camping grounds
• Living in emergency or transitional shelters
• Abandoned in hospitals
• Living in a nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation
• Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings

The McKinney-Vento Act also recognizes unaccompanied youth who are homeless.  According to the Act, an unaccompanied youth is a youth not in the physical custody of a parent or legal guardian.

To report a possible homeless situation or obtain more information regarding homeless children and youth, please contact the student’s school counselor or the Homeless Coordinator for the Jefferson City School District at 573-659-3043.

Homeless Complaint Resolution 

The Homeless Coordinator for Jefferson City School District is Mindie Friederich.  For any questions, please call 573-659-3152 or e-mail mindie.friederich@jcschools.us. 

The Homeless Coordinator is responsible for:

• supporting the needs of the homeless student population
• ensuring the delivery of mandated services to facilitate the student’s attendance and access to appropriate education
• assessing student needs
• interpreting laws related to homeless students
• acts as a resources to school staff

 JC Schools Staff Training on Homeless Children: