Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Mckinney Vento Corrective Action topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Edinburg CISD approves corrective action plan with TEA after finding improper suspensions of homeless students
Summary
Following a Texas Education Agency review of 2022–23 records, the district agreed to a corrective action plan addressing McKinney-Vento violations, including staff training, system safeguards, campus liaisons and modest grant-funded spending for supplies and professional development.
The Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees on Jan. 14 approved a corrective action plan with the Texas Education Agency to address findings tied to McKinney-Vento (homeless-students) compliance for the 2022–23 school year.
Trustees were told the TEA review found that a small number of students who met McKinney-Vento definitions were recorded as receiving out-of-school suspensions — a practice TEA does not allow for students identified as homeless. District staff described the issue as serious and said the corrective action plan includes multiple steps to prevent recurrence.
Miss Santa Maria (district staff) told the board the TEA audit flagged “six” students in the prior year who received out-of-school suspensions while identified as homeless and that the compliance finding prompted the corrective action plan. She said the district is taking a number of steps, including training for principals, deans, teachers, counselors, bus drivers and other staff who interact with students, and assigning campus liaisons to monitor McKinney-Vento identification and disciplinary actions.
Santa Maria said the district has added a Skyward system indicator for students identified as homeless; once the student is tagged, she said, the system will prevent an administrator from entering an out-of-school suspension for that student and will flag the record for review.
The board also reviewed planned spending tied to federal and local sources to support implementation. Santa Maria described an initial breakdown from a Harlingen-based grant-writing vendor and the program team: $11,943 for general supplies (school supplies, uniforms), $1,449 for professional development and $1,000 for other operating costs. She and trustees discussed reallocating additional local funds to increase professional development spending for teachers and administrators.
Superintendent Dr. Javier Salinas told the board the district will provide monthly or periodic training and follow up with campus leaders; Freddie Martinez, the district director referenced earlier in the meeting, will work with the department to ensure identified students are flagged in the district system and that campus staff cannot enter improper suspensions.
After discussion, a trustee moved to approve the corrective action plan and the related spending authorization; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.
District staff said they will return with implementation updates and that the corrective actions include outreach to parents, campus-level liaisons, staff training, and ongoing monitoring to avoid another TEA finding.
