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Auburn School Committee approves first readings of homeless‑student policy and regulations
Summary
The Auburn School Committee approved first readings of policy AUBJFABD, "Education of Students Experiencing Homelessness," and its regulations, aligning local language with the McKinney‑Vento federal statute; members discussed definitions and mandated‑reporter implications.
The Auburn School Committee on Jan. 8 approved first readings of policy AUBJFABD, “Education of Students Experiencing Homelessness,” and AUBJFABD‑R, the regulations implementing the policy.
The first readings, each moved and seconded during the meeting, passed by voice vote. The policy rewrite replaces terminology such as “homeless students” with “students experiencing homelessness,” updates legal references to cite the McKinney‑Vento statute and adopts gender‑neutral language.
Committee members said the changes were largely technical and intended to align district policy with federal language. Dan Poisson, a school committee member, described work done by staff to align the policy’s legal‑reference section. Corinne McGuigan raised a question about the policy’s definition language that lists “trailer parks,” asking whether that phrase could be read to include permanent mobile homes.
Pat Cottier responded that the policy intends to describe non‑permanent housing circumstances, saying, “It’s not a characteristic. It’s a circumstance.” The committee discussed that the qualifying language — that residence in a motel, hotel, trailer park or campground is considered only when it is due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations — limits the definition to non‑permanent housing situations.
Members also discussed mandated‑reporter responsibilities. Quinn Gormley asked whether the district’s homeless liaison (identified in discussion as Sasha) discloses mandated‑reporting obligations to students before students disclose housing instability. Superintendent Sue Dorris confirmed that the liaison is a mandated reporter but did not state a districtwide practice on prior disclosure; Gormley said it was “something worth considering” as policy is finalized, adding, “I would encourage us to consider that.” The committee agreed that mandated‑reporter requirements are statutory and noted some statutory items do not need to be repeated in district policy.
The policy and its regulations will return for a second reading and final adoption at a future meeting. Committee members asked staff to follow up with a district count of students experiencing homelessness; that number was requested at Jan. 8 and will be provided at a later meeting and to the health and safety subcommittee’s presentation by Sasha.
Votes at a glance - Approval of consent agenda (including tonight’s agenda and Dec. 18, 2024 minutes): motion approved by voice vote (mover: Corinne McGuigan; second: Jay Rich). - Approval — AUBJFABD, Education of Students Experiencing Homelessness (first reading): motion approved by voice vote (mover: Scott Adeneer; second: not specified in transcript). - Approval — AUBJFABD‑R, Education of Students Experiencing Homelessness Regulations (first reading): motion approved by voice vote (mover: not specified; second: not specified).
Context: the policy aligns district language with the McKinney‑Vento Act, which defines protections and services for children and youth experiencing homelessness and requires local educational agencies to remove barriers to enrollment and attendance. The committee emphasized clarity in definitions and the statutory role of mandated reporters as it moves the policy toward adoption.
