McKinney-Vento Case Manager

McKinney-Vento Case Manager

The McKinney-Vento Youth Case Manager ensures the immediate enrollment, stability, and academic success of students experiencing housing instability within our public, urban school district. Operating under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, this position manages field outreach, identification, and comprehensive case management to deliver comparable services and eliminate educational barriers. This is a position funded by a grant from an entity external to Akron Public Schools and therefore, is contingent upon approved funding by the external entity.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as an advocate for students and families within the school system and the community.
• Support immediate enrollment of homeless and unaccompanied youth in accordance with McKinney-Vento requirements.
• Assist in maintaining school stability and school-of-origin protections for eligible students.
• Coordinate access to transportation and comparable educational services as required.
• Assist unaccompanied youth in accessing educational rights, services, and supports.
• Identify and assist with removal of barriers that may impact school access, attendance, and program participation.
• Conduct targeted community outreach to identify homeless and unaccompanied youth
• Screen incoming unhoused students for immediate referral to specialized district programs, including Special Education (IEP/504 plans), English Language Learner (ELL) services, and gifted tracking.
• Collaborate with external agencies and service providers to coordinate support services for students and families.
• Manage a caseload of students requiring ongoing support services to satisfy matriculation and graduation.
• Maintain accurate and confidential records of student interactions, assessments, in compliance with legal and ethical standards.
• Facilitate immediate connection to district mental health resources, school counselors, or social workers to support students exhibiting signs of acute trauma.
• Secure necessary signatures on rights disclosures from parents and independent youth.
• Act as the primary local liaison between families, youth, and district campuses for K-12.
• Collaboration with other district personnel and departments to secure programmatic and resource support for district-identified homeless and unaccompanied youth addressing basic needs, academic, attendance issues and graduation.
• Ensure immediate, automatic eligibility and access to school programs and services including transportation, academic, athletic, extended day programs, field trips, senior events, special programs, graduation, and other programs available to non-identified youth.
• Provide continuous case management support to address social and academic needs through community and school partnerships.
• Assist parents, guardians, or unaccompanied youth in navigating the formal dispute resolution process if a disagreement arises regarding McKinney-Vento eligibility, school selection, or enrollment.
• Develop district-wide and student-specific support networks.
• Build both system-level and individual support structures.
• Serve as a point of contact for external urban community partners, including local family shelters, the Continuum of Care (CoC), street outreach teams, and youth drop-in centers.
• Requires frequent travel across urban district schools and neighborhoods.
• Regular visits to school buildings, community shelters, and other community service locations to manage a caseload of homeless and unaccompanied youth.
• May be responsible to drive a motor vehicle with a valid Ohio operator's license as required by the position; and may be required to travel, both within the school district and outside of the school district.

Qualifications

• A Bachelor's degree or Equivalent Experience in Social Work, Psychology, Sociology, Education, or a related human services field
• Minimum of 3 years of experience working with urban youth and families, or individuals experiencing homelessness and/or housing instability.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and strong verbal and written communication skills
• Knowledge of community resources and ability to identify appropriate services for referrals
• Ability to develop, implement and manage multi-disciplinary (academic, social services, transportation, health care, etc.) case plans for students
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and Google Workspace
• Adaptive and flexible to accommodate changing environments

Preferred:

• Multilingual
• Prior experience with data collection and management
• Knowledge in trauma-informed crisis management

If you require any special services (such as interpreters, braille or large print, or wheelchair accessible accommodations) covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Public Law 101-336, Section 102, please call the Department of Human Resources at . If you are using a TTY/TTD, please call the Ohio Relay Service,  Akron Public Schools is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual…