Transportation service is provided to public school students, including those attending charter schools transported by the Saint Paul Public Schools, who are experiencing homelessness under the authority of the Mckinney-Vento No Child Left Behind Act. The provisions of the NCLB Act do not apply to students attending nonpublic schools.

City wide magnet schools should process address changes for a student experiencing homelessness who is residing at a temporary address within Saint Paul through the Transportation Department Route Coordinator who supervises the routes serving your school.  City wide magnet schools should process address changes for students experiencing homelessness who are residing at a temporary location outside of Saint Paul through the Title I Homeless Program staff.

Neighborhood schools should process address changes for students experiencing homelessness who are residing at a temporary location outside of the school attendance area and desegregation transportation area through the Title I Homeless Program staff.

Minnesota Statutes differ from Federal law with respect to which school district is responsible for transportation in certain specific circumstances. On January 15, 2004, the Department of Education released revised guidance on McKinney-Vento transportation which altered which school district is responsible for transportation in certain circumstances. Most school districts, including Saint Paul, have chosen to finish out the current school year under the old interpretation which held that the school district where the student attended school and previously resided is responsible for providing transportation. However, this will change for 2004-2005.

When the federal No Child Left Behind Act was first passed, the Department of Education consulted with staff from the United States Department of Education on which school district would be responsible for transportation. DOE advised Minnesota school districts that the district where the homeless student’s school of origin was located and where the homeless student previously resided would be responsible for all transportation including situations where a student’s temporary home was located outside the district.

However, the January 2004 memorandum from Carol Hokenson changed much of this responsibility. Minnesota Statute 125A.515 provides that a student living in an emergency or transitional shelter or a domestic violence shelter, or living in a runaway or homeless youth shelter, is considered placed for care and treatment. Under Minnesota Statutes the district where the student is temporarily living would be responsible for transportation.

The practical effect of this change that will apply:

SITUATION ONE: Student is residing at an emergency, transitional domestic violence shelter, runaway, or homeless youth shelter within Saint Paul.

RESPONSIBILITY: The Saint Paul Schools will transport.

Magnet and city wide option schools should process requests through the Transportation Coordinator who supervises your schools routes. Neighborhood schools should process changes through the Transportation Coordinator who supervises your schools routes if the temporary shelter location is within the school attendance area or with the schools desegregation transportation area. If the temporary shelter location is outside of the attendance or transportation area neighborhood schools should process the request through the Title I Homeless Program staff.

SITUATION TWO: Student residing at an emergency, transitional domestic violence shelter, runaway, or homeless youth shelter located outside of Saint Paul.

RESPONSIBILITY: Transportation is the responsibility of the school district where the temporary shelter is located. Parents or guardians should be directed to contact the Title I Homeless Coordinator of that school district.

SITUATION THREE: Student is residing at home or facility other than an emergency, transitional domestic violence shelter, runaway, or homeless youth shelter and that home or facility is at a location outside of Saint Paul. Examples would include a hotel or motel, unless the accomodiations are funded by an agency, or the home of a relative.

RESPONSIBILITY: The Saint Paul Schools will transport.

All schools should process requests for transportation through the Title I Homeless staff.