Signature School provides services to students and families experiencing homelessness in accordance with the McKinney-Vento Act. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act ensures immediate enrollment and educational stability for homeless students.

The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless as: an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, adequate nighttime residence. Students living in motels/hotels, shelters, cars, abandoned buildings, on the streets, abandoned in hospitals etc., are considered homeless. However, the McKinney-Vento definition of homeless also includes:
(1) Children and youth who are: - sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason (sometimes referred to as “doubled-up”)
(2) Students who move from place to place; sleeping on floors; couches; whatever and wherever space is available (“couch surfing”).
(3) Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are living in circumstances described above

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison for Signature School is:

Kristen Cirino

812-421-1820

[email protected]

• Homeless students' rights
• IDOE state coordinators’ contact information: Flora Jones, Director of Student Pathways & Opportunities and Charie Gibson, Homeless Education Specialist, 317-232-0957, [email protected]
• IDOE's McKinney-Vento: Homeless Children & Youth Program
• Indiana State Plan
• Federal Resources
• Indiana McKinney-Vento FAQs
• National Center for Homeless Education Brief