Homeless and MELL
If your child, or a child you know, fits one of the following categories and is living in the Cole County School District, please contact Cole County R-1 School District.
| Homeless Coordinator: | Luke Morris 573-782-3045 13600 Rt. C Russellville, MO 65074 Job Description |
| MELL Coordinator: | Lori Clark 573-782-3325 13111 Park St. Russellville, MO 65074 |
Homeless Student Education
The Cole R-1 School District Board of Education recognizes that homelessness alone should not be sufficient reason to separate students from the mainstream school environment. Therefore, the district, in accordance with state and federal law and the Missouri state plan for education of the homeless will give special attention to ensure that homeless students in the school district have access to a free and appropriate public education.
Definition of Homelessness:
Homeless students are individuals who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence and include the following:
- Children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals, or are awaiting foster care placement.
- Children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designated for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.
- Children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations or similar settings.
- Migratory children who meet one (1) of the above-described circumstances.
State of Missouri Homeless Student Information
Migrant Student Education
The Board of Education of the Cole R-1 School District directs the administration to identify migratory children in the district, as required by law, and to develop written administrative procedures for ensuring that migrant students receive services for which they are eligible. In developing and implementing a program to address the needs of migratory children the district will:
- Identify migratory students and assess the educational and related health and social needs of each identified student.
- Provide a full range of services to migrant students including applicable Title I programs, special education, gifted education, vocational education, language programs, counseling programs, elective classes, fine arts classes, etc.
- Provide migratory children with the opportunity to meet the same statewide assessment standards that all children are expected to meet.
- To the extent feasible, provide advocacy and outreach programs to migratory children and their families and professional development for district staff.
- Provide parents an opportunity for meaningful participation in the program.
Definition of Migrant Students:
A student may be considered to be a migrant student if either the parent or guardian or the child or child’s spouse, have been employed within the past three years (or are any of the aforementioned currently employed) in some form of temporary or seasonal agricultural or agricultural-related work such as:
- planting or harvesting crops (vegetables, fruit, cotton, etc.);
- transporting farm products to market;
- feeding or processing poultry, beef, hogs;
- gathering eggs or working in hatcheries;
- working on a dairy farm or a catfish farm;
- cutting firewood or logs to sell.
Missouri Migrant Education & English Language Learning Web Site
Education of English Language Learners (ELL)
The Board of Education recognizes the need to provide equal educational opportunities for all students in the district. Therefore, if the inability to speak and understand the English language excludes a student from effective participation in the educational programs offered by the district, the district shall take appropriate action to rectify the English language deficiency in order to provide the student equal access to its programs. Students in a language minority (LM) or who have limited English proficiency (LEP) will be identified, assessed and provided appropriate services. No child will be admitted to or excluded from any program based solely on surname or LM status.
Definitions:
Language Minority (LM): Refers to a student whose linguistic background, such as country of birth or home environment, includes languages other than English. Language minority is based solely on the student’s language background and not on proficiency.
Limited English Proficiency (LEP): Refers to an LM student whose proficiency in reading, writing, listening or speaking English is below that of grade- and age-level peers. Limited English proficiency is based on the assessment of a student’s English language proficiency.
Missouri Migrant Education & English Language Learning Web Site