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Homeless Education Home
What is the McKinney-Vento Program? Watch this video for more information!
* Haga clic aquí para ver el video en español
The McKinney-Vento Act does not provide housing supports, however it does allow the following rights to students:
- Continuity of school placement: In order to allow students to have consistency in their education, students may continue to attend the school they last attended when they were living in permanent housing or the school last attended. This school is called the school of origin. This includes schools across county lines. School placement decisions are made in the best interest of the student and factors such as distance from the current living situation are taken into consideration.
- Transportation: Transportation provided to all students living 2 or more miles away from the school location.
- Free lunch: All students who qualify under the McKinney-Vento Act receive free lunch.
- Immediate Enrollment : Students who qualify under the McKinney-Vento Act are entitled to immediate enrollment, even if they do not have the proper paperwork (immunizations, address verification, etc.) at the time of enrollment.
All families must register for the McKinney-Vento Program each year. Families can enroll by completing a Student Residency Questionnaire. Enrollment does not roll over from year to year. Open enrollment for MVP begins in July prior to each school year. For more information on qualifications and MVP rights, click on this link to view a flyer for MVP families. Haga click en este enlace para obtener undocumento PDF en español.
McKinney-Vento Program Resources
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OCPS Kids’ Closet is a centralized clothing closet and food pantry for eligible school aged students and families. Access to the Kids' Closet is coordinated through OCPS staff. The Kids’ Closet is always in need of donations (in-kind and monetary). If you would like to donate to support our clothing closet, please click here or email helphomeless@ocps.net
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Families in need of support (those that are experiencing homelessness or not) can put a request for an OCPS staff member to reach out regarding student services, mental health service, Exceptional Student Education (ESE) services, or homelessness supports. To make a request, visit OCPS Supports or by clicking on this link.
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The Student Residency Questionnaire (SRQ) is a form that must be completed annually by families in transition or OCPS school staff to determine qualification for McKinney-Vento Act rights. SRQs should be completed and emailed or delivered (mail or in person) to the school registrar/s for each school.
CLICK HERE for more information to access the Digital Student Residency Questionnaire.
Please note, families will need to complete a NEW form after 7/1/2023. Any forms completed prior will only apply to the 2022-2023 school year.
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The Student Residency Questionnaire (SRQ) is a form that must be completed annually by families in transition to determine qualification for McKinney-Vento Act rights. SRQs should be completed and emailed or delivered (mail or in person) to the school registrar/s for each school.
It is suggested that parents also send a copy to the district McKinney-Vento Program office at helphomeless@ocps.net. Get a list of school email addresses.
2025-2026 Student Residency Questionnaire Forms (Please note, families will need to complete a NEW form after 7/1/2025. Any forms completed prior will only apply to the 2025-2026 school year). -
OCPS McKinney-Vento Dispute Process
Federal regulations require that all school districts adopt their own procedures for receiving and resolving disputes pertaining to the transition of children and youth experiencing homelessness as identified under the McKinney-Vento Act.
If a dispute arises over school selection or enrollment, the child/youth must be immediately enrolled in the school in which he/she is seeking enrollment and provided all rights under the McKinney-Vento Act, pending resolution of the dispute. Enrollment is defined as “attending classes and participating fully in school activities." School bus transportation requests will be submitted upon the determination of homelessness if requested by the parent/guardian; however, bus passes may be provided for transportation during the dispute decision-making process.
If a parent/guardian/Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (UHY) is denied McKinney-Vento rights and would like to dispute the decision made by the school site or a district liaison, he or she must contact the OCPS McKinney-Vento Program office at 407-317-3485 or email helphomeless@ocps.net to state that they would like to dispute the decision. The OCPS McKinney-Vento administrative team will review the case, and if the district office agrees with the initial denial, will provide the parent/guardian/UHY with an official denial letter via mail and/or email.
The parent/guardian/UHY will have 14 days to respond by providing the denial dispute forms and any additional information regarding the situation. The OCPS McKinney-Vento administrative team will make a second review of the case and respond with a decision within 10 business days.
If the parent/guardian/UHY is still not in agreement with the OCPS McKinney-Vento Office’s decision, a written complaint must be provided to:Orange County Public Schools
McKinney-Vento Program, Senior Administrator
445 West Amelia Street
Orlando, Florida 32801
or emailed to helphomeless@ocps.net.
The OCPS McKinney-Vento program will forward all written documentation and related paperwork to the Florida Department of
Education (FLDOE) at the state level via mail to:Director of Homeless Education Program, Florida Department of Education
325 West Gaines St., Room 352 Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
PHONE: 850-245-0668 FAX: 850-245-0697.
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The McKinney-Vento Act does not provide funding for schools to provide housing. A variety of community agencies provide supports based on the type of homelessness a family is experiencing. Get local community resources at this link.
All OCPS families have access to Community Connect. This resource allows families to type in their zip code and search for specific resources available in their geographic area. Click here to access Community Connect.
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- National Association for the Education of Homeless Children & Youth
- National Center for Homeless Education
- National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty
- SchoolHouse Connection
- Florida Department of Education - Homeless Education