District outlines McKinney-Vento supports; community groups describe coordinated homelessness response

Marion County Public Schools staff and community partners described on Aug. 21 how the district identifies and supports students experiencing homelessness under the McKinney-Vento Act and how local agencies coordinate services through a Continuum of Care.

Families in Transition coordinator Thomas Butler told the board that the McKinney-Vento Act protects students who “lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence,” including those doubled up with other families, living in motels, cars, tents or shelters. Butler said the district identified 1,556 students as homeless in 2024–25, and he provided a breakdown: about 102 living in shelters, about 1,007 doubled up with other families, 314 in motels/hotels, and 133 living in cars, tents or abandoned buildings. Butler said…