Programs
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 reauthorized the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The program is now referred to as the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvement Act of 2001. This part of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is intended to ensure that students in transition are not left behind in school. Stability and adequacy of the living arrangement are critical considerations when determining qualifications. The term “student in transition” means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.
Students who qualify for the Mc-Kinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act are identified by the Student Residency Forms which are completed by all families in Skyward at the beginning of each school year. If your student(s) qualify for these services, you will be contacted via letter sent home.
Grade level school counselors are the McKinney-Vento liasons for their students. If you have any questions regarding McKinney-Vento, please feel free to contact the school at 615-758-5152 and ask to speak to your child's school counselor.
School counselors service as the Section 504 coordinators for the students within their assigned grade. Section 504 is a civil rights statute which provides: “No otherwise qualified individual with handicaps in the United States…shall, solely by reason of his/her handicap, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” 29 USC § 794
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, commonly referred to as Section 504, is a federal nondiscrimination statute. The purpose of the Act is to prohibit discrimination and to assure that disabled students have educational opportunities and benefits equal to those provided to nondisabled students.
An eligible student under Section 504 is a student who:
a) Has a disability
b) Has a record of having a disability
c) Is regarded as having a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits a major life activity such as learning, self-care, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, working and performing manual tasks.
If you would like more information about Section 504, please contact your child's school counselor, or the Wilson County School's District 504 Coordinator, Tammy Crane 615.444.3282 (cranetr@wcschools.com).