Federal Programs
The Scott County Schools Federal Programs Office is located in the SCSD Central Office at 110 Commerce Loop, Forest, MS.
The district's Federal Programs Director is Mrs. Jill Killen. She is also the district's Homeless Liaison and the Foster Care Point of Contact. Click the Staff link (at right) to reach her.
While the district receives no additional federal funding to provide services to homeless children, the McKinney-Vento Act requires that homeless children be placed in schools that are in the best interest of the child. While the district does not receive additional funds to support services for homeless children, Title I set-aside funds are available for specific needs that support academic success. ESSA requires that homeless children receive the same educational services as all other children. Therefore, children in grades K-12 who are considered homeless receive the same services in schoolwide programs as all other children.
The McKinney-Vento Act defines "homelessness children and youth" as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. The term includes:
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);
- living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations;
- living in emergency or transitional shelters;
- abandoned in hospitals;
- awaiting foster care placement;
Children and youth who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
Children and youth who are living in cars, parks, public places, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are living in circumstances described above.