Board hears first reader of JFE policy to update supports for students experiencing homelessness
Summary
District staff presented proposed revisions to policy JFE (students experiencing homelessness) to align with COMAR, clarify definitions and streamline best-interest determinations; the board received the update as a first reader.
Baltimore City Public Schools presented a first-reader update to board policy JFE (students experiencing homelessness) on May 27, outlining proposed changes to align district practice with Maryland COMAR regulations and to streamline enrollment and best-interest determination procedures for McKinney-Vento students.
Sonia Goodwin, executive director for Whole Child Services and Supports, said the district currently identifies roughly 5,830 students under the McKinney-Vento program (with about 679 identified in charter schools at the time of presentation). Goodwin outlined staffing for the central McKinney-Vento office: one full-time coordinator, two full-time specialists and four temporary FTE staff, plus a school-based liaison in every school for compliance and case coordination.
The proposed policy changes would update terminology (for example, using "students experiencing homelessness" or "unhoused students" and renaming the school-based "homeless education liaison" as the "McKinney-Vento liaison"), clarify the best-interest determination process, update references to fee waivers and educational access, and create user-friendly guidance for families. Staff said the policy language was revised to allow school-based liaisons and central office McKinney-Vento staff to contact families for annual status reviews and to coordinate school choice participation for eligible students.
"Our mission is to ensure that all identified students experiencing homelessness have access to immediate resources and are ready and equipped to attend school for academic success," Goodwin said. Staff noted the desired timeline for initial best-interest determinations: the liaison and school team will typically meet and complete the assessment within five to seven days to enroll and provide immediate supports.
Board members asked clarifying questions about transportation, sibling placement, coordination with the Office of Transportation, and how the district monitors students who move repeatedly and may need a new best-interest assessment. Goodwin said the liaison team works closely with transportation and attendance offices to maintain services, including issuing MTA passes for secondary students when bus capacity is constrained, and that the district will reconvene best-interest meetings when trends in attendance or living arrangements indicate a change.
The policy revision was posted for public feedback; staff said they received few formal written comments but many operational questions about staffing and supports. The item will return as a second reader on July 22.
Ending: The board accepted the JFE revisions as a first reader and asked staff to return with the finalized language and any additional stakeholder input for a July 22 second reading.
