Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education And Social Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Regional Office of Education reports 81% rise in students experiencing homelessness; McKinney‑Vento supports expanded district aid
Summary
The Kane County Regional Office of Education told the Public Service Committee that students experiencing homelessness across nine districts have increased about 81% in five years; the ROE described McKinney‑Vento and state supports, training for staff and mini‑grants to districts to assist affected students.
Jeff Aronowski, chief of executive services for the Kane County Regional Office of Education, told the Public Service Committee on March 19 that the ROE has seen an approximately 81% increase in the number of students experiencing homelessness across nine districts over the last five years.
Aronowski described the McKinney‑Vento Homeless Assistance Act (federal) and the Illinois Education for Homeless Children Act (state) as the statutory foundations that guarantee educational stability for homeless students. He said the ROE has focused on removing enrollment barriers, offering transportation to a student's school of origin, expediting special‑education evaluations, and providing mini‑grants to districts for counseling, emergency transportation and school supplies.
"In the last five years, we've seen about an 81% increase in the number of students experiencing homelessness in our nine school districts," Aronowski said. He added that many families who qualify are "doubled up" with other households — a group that is often hardest to identify and assist.
Aronowski said the ROE's last official count at the end of the previous school year was 3,575 McKinney‑Vento‑eligible students, and he warned that the number is still changing this school year. He described a three‑year grant that funds mini‑grants to districts and other supports.
Committee members asked how mental‑health needs are diagnosed and addressed. Aronowski said only licensed mental‑health professionals make diagnoses but that schools and ROE staff make referrals and coordinate services; the ROE also has two in‑house family counselors and contractual counseling partnerships. He noted that, subject to state appropriation, Illinois schools in grades 3–12 will be required to screen students for mental health beginning in about 18 months, with opt‑out provisions for families.
Aronowski stressed training for all school staff — including bus drivers and lunch staff — to help identify students who may qualify for McKinney‑Vento services and reiterated that transportation and free school meals are critical stabilizing supports.
