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Support for Students Experiencing Homelessness at DVS

At Dogwood Virtual School (DVS), we are committed to fostering an inclusive, supportive environment for all students, ensuring equal opportunities for academic success in compliance with Federal and North Carolina laws. Our programs and services address the unique needs of all eligible students, including those experiencing homelessness.

Educational Rights for Homeless Students

Homeless students are entitled to the same free and appropriate educational opportunities as their peers. This commitment applies to all DVS services and programs.

Under the McKinney-Vento Act, “homeless children and youths” include individuals without a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, such as:

Living with others due to housing loss or hardship
Staying in shelters, motels, cars, or public spaces
Residing in substandard housing, campgrounds, or youth shelters
Youth living independently without parental custody

Homeless students may remain in their school of origin throughout the year, if feasible, or enroll in their current district of residence. Those temporarily without a legal guardian may qualify as “unaccompanied youth.”

Available Support Services

DVS ensures homeless students can:

Access free public education
Enroll immediately without typical documents
Attend classes while enrollment documents are gathered
Choose between their school of origin or local school
Receive transportation and other needed services
Access comparable educational opportunities

Our Commitment

DVS strives to:

Ensure educational access
Connect families to resources
Partner with community organizations
Educate stakeholders about homelessness

If you are experiencing homelessness, please contact the Homeless Student Liaison. Determinations of qualifying students are made on a case-by-case basis.

McKinney-Vento Homeless Student Liaison

NCVA McKinney-Vento Dispute Resolution Process

Parents have the right to dispute the determination made by the liaison. If a parent desires to appeal the decision, the parent/guardian/caregiver/student should be provided this Dispute Resolution Process, as well as the Rights and Services Under the McKinney-Vento Act handout.
An appeal can be made verbally or in writing. If a verbal appeal is preferred, please have parent/guardian/youth contact the DVS Homeless Liaison, Jaimee Miller at [email protected] or 984.768.1200.
If a written appeal is preferred, the McKinney-Vento Written Notice of Appeal should be completed.
The school will offer to assist the parent/guardian/youth with completing and returning the McKinney-Vento Written Notice of Appeal form to the school liaison.
The form should be returned to the school liaison, by mail at 190 Rosewood Centre Drive, Suite 201, Holly Springs, NC 27540 or by email at [email protected].
The school liaison will forward all documentation involved in the dispute to the State Coordinator for a final decision.

Lisa Phillips, State Coordinator
336.315.7491
[email protected]

P.O. Box 5367, Greensboro, N.C. 27435

Jaimee Miller
984.768.1200
[email protected]

Section 504

Dogwood Virtual School (DVS) policy is to provide a free and appropriate public education to each student with a disability enrolled in the school, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability. DVS does not discriminate based on disability with regard to admission, access to services, treatment, or employment in its programs or activities.

DVS’s intent is to ensure that students who are disabled within the definition of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are identified, assessed, and provided with appropriate educational services. DVS will provide reasonable accommodations to students in accordance with the student’s 504 Plan developed by a team of individuals who are knowledgeable of the student, the evaluation results, and available services.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973/Public law 93-112 is a comprehensive law that addresses the rights of handicapped persons and applies to all agencies receiving federal financial assistance. Eliminating barriers to education programs and services, increasing building accessibility, and establishing equitable employment practices are thoroughly and specifically addressed in Section 504 regulations.

Under this policy, a student with a disability is one who (a) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities such as caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, or working—examples include Tourette’s Syndrome, epilepsy, sickle-cell anemia, asthma, or a serious long-term illness or injury—if there is a resulting impact on a major life activity such as learning; (b) has a record of such impairment; or (c) is regarded as having such impairment. Students may be disabled under Section 504 even though they do not require services pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Due process rights of students with disabilities and their parents under Section 504 will be enforced.

If you suspect your child needs 504 services, please contact:

Dustin Britt, 504 Coordinator
190 Rosewood Centre Drive, Suite 201
[email protected]
984.768.1200

A professional translator may be requested at any time by contacting DVS at 984.768.1200.

Multilingual Learners (ML)

During the application process to DVS, all families will answer a series of questions to understand the student’s home language as a first effort in the Child Find process and to determine if the student needs English language support. Students with positive responses to any of the Home Language Survey questions will be referred to the Multilingual Learners (ML) point of contact.

A Multilingual Learner is defined as an individual aged 3 through 21 who:

is enrolled or preparing to enroll in an elementary or secondary school;
is a Native American or Alaska Native, or a native resident of the outlying areas; and
is from an environment where a language other than English has had a significant impact on the individual’s level of English language proficiency; or
is migratory, whose native language is a language other than English, and who comes from an environment where a language other than English is dominant; and
has difficulties in speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language may be sufficient to deny the individual:
has the ability to meet the state’s proficient level of achievement on state assessments described in section 1111(b)(3);
has the ability to successfully achieve in classrooms where the language of instruction is English; or
has the opportunity to participate fully in society

DVS’s ML contact will talk with the student’s family to determine if services were previously provided at the last school of attendance and will work to understand the student’s current language needs. Additionally, DVS will request and review prior school ML records, including previous evaluations and program plans to determine if a placement test or an assessment is necessary to determine ML services support. The WIDA ACCESS Placement Test (W-APT) is administered to all initially enrolled language minority students. This test functions as a screener used for the initial assessment and for the placement of students in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program who are identified as limited English proficient.

When a student is identified as ML, they will participate in the school’s ESL program. The program provides English language instruction for students (pull-out, inclusion, or consultative). This program takes into account the student’s level of English proficiency and builds on the language skills and academic subject knowledge of the student. Some students of limited English proficiency may have modified instruction and assessments geared to meet their needs. Students who qualify for ML services are assessed annually in: Listening, speaking, reading, and writing using the WIDE ACCESS Assessment for MLs.

It is important that ESL students receive the same academic opportunities as students who are proficient in English. DVS is committed to the success of all students.

For more information about DVS’s ML program, please reach out to Tess Mann-john at [email protected].

A professional translator may be requested at any time by contacting 984.768.1200.

Tess Mann-john, ESL Coordinator
190 Rosewood Centre Drive, Suite 201
[email protected]
984.768.1200

Child Find and Confidentiality

A free appropriate public education must be available to all children with disabilities. Dogwood Virtual School (DVS) strives to identify, locate, and evaluate all enrolled children who may have disabilities. Disability, as stated in IDEA, includes such conditions as hearing, visual, speech, or language impairment, specific learning disability, emotional disturbance, cognitive disability, other health or physical impairment, autism, and traumatic brain injury. The process of identifying, locating, and evaluating these children is referred to as Child Find.

As a public school, we will respond vigorously to federal and state mandates requiring the provision of a free appropriate public education regardless of a child’s disability or the severity of the disability. In order to comply with the Child Find requirements, DVS shall have procedures in place to ensure that all children with disabilities—including children with disabilities who are homeless children or are wards of the state, and children with disabilities regardless of the severity of their disability, and who are in need of special education and related services—are identified, located, and evaluated.

Parent/Guardian permission and involvement is a vital piece in the process. DVS is required to obtain informed written consent for any action requested. Consent is required to conduct an initial evaluation, to conduct a reevaluation, initial placement to receive Exceptional Children and related services on the IEP, and before disclosure of personally identifiable information that is subject to confidentiality.

Once a child has been identified as having a “suspected disability” or identified as having a disability, DVS will ask for information about the child such as:

How has the suspected disability or identified disability hindered the student’s learning?
What has been done, educationally, to address the student’s learning needs?
What educational or medical information relative to the suspected disability or identified disability is available to be shared with the school?

This information may be obtained from the student, his or her parents, present or former teachers, therapists, doctors, or from other agencies that have information about the student.

All information collected will be held in strict confidence and released to others only with parental permission or as allowed by law. In keeping with this confidence, DVS will keep a record of all persons who review confidential information. Parents have the right to review their child’s records per state mandate. DVS policy, including procedures to protect the confidentiality of personally identifiable information used to meet special education requirements, is detailed in the Exceptional Children Procedures Manual.

As part of the Child Find process, some services may include a complete evaluation, a personalized education program designed specifically for the child, and a referral to other agencies providing special services. The Parent Student Handbook along with the DVS Exceptional Children Procedures Manual note the Special Education Services (IEP) or Service Agreements (504 Plans) are available to students who have been identified with a disability and meet eligibility requirements.

To assist in the local Child Find efforts, DVS utilizes the available resources including news releases, posters, and brochures. Included below are Child Find documents, which have been posted in highly visible areas within DVS’s office and are displayed for easy public access in prominent locations.

We are committed to meeting the needs of children with disabilities.

DVS accept referrals, according to Child Find provisions, from any source that suspects a child may be eligible for special education and related services per 71 Fed. Reg. 46636 (August 14, 2006). If you or someone you know has a suspected disability, please contact Riva Gomez at [email protected].

DVS dispute resolution procedures, including mediation, State complaint procedures, and due process complaint and due process hearing procedures are included in the DVS Exceptional Children Procedures Manual.

A professional translator may be requested at any time by contacting DVS at 984.768.1200.

Procedural Safeguards: Handbook on Parents’ Rights

Parents and children have many rights under the Exceptional Children law, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It is important that parents and children understand their rights to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). The term “appropriate” is based on the educational needs of the individual child that are outlined in the Individualized Education Program (IEP). The IEP is deemed a working document created by a team of educators and the family that establishes goals for a child to achieve in order to succeed.

It is the responsibility of the school to provide parents with notice of their rights in an understandable language. Parents also have a responsibility to participate in the education of their children. Parents do so by participating in meetings and giving consent to allow the school to provide the supports and services that both the parents and school agree are necessary for a child to be successful.

Parents will be provided a copy of the state parental rights notification at least once a year and at the following events;

Parent Request.
Annual IEP meeting.
Initial referral or parental request for evaluation.
Receipt of the first state complaint.
Receipt of the first due process hearing request.

The Parent Rights & Responsibilities in Special Education [PDF] contains a full explanation of the North Carolina procedural safeguards (legal rights) provided for you and your child with a disability. Acronyms and terms often used in special education and resources for parents are found in the appendices. This handbook is, also, available in Spanish as the Derechos Y Responsabilidades De Los Padres De Familia En Educacion Especial [PDF].

Request for Parent/ Guardian Interpreter Services or Disability Accommodations

Parents and guardians of students with disabilities may request professional interpreter services at any time for by contacting Riva Gomez, Academic Administrator of Special Programs at [email protected].

Additionally, if any parent/ guardian has a disability or other limitations that would impact their ability to participate fully in their child’s educational planning process, DVS would be happy to discuss accommodations that may be available to maximize the parent/ guardian’s participation. Individuals seeking to discuss accommodation for this reason may contact Riva Gomez, ADA Compliance Coordinator at [email protected].

Special Education Dispute Resolution

Disputes that are resolved at the local level may preserve and even strengthen the relationship between the school and the parent. While the parent always has the right to request Mediation or a Due Process Hearing and will always be informed of this right, many times issues can be resolved at a less intense level as system personnel and parents seek mutual understanding and agreement. The following four (4) step process may be used to resolve problems before they grow to the level requiring Mediation or a Due Process Hearing:

Contact the assigned Exceptional Children Teacher or via email and/or by phone.
Hold an IEP team meeting to discuss concerns of the IEP team members.
If ‘Step Two’ is unsuccessful, contact the DVS Academic Administrator of Special Programs.
If ‘Step Three’ is unsuccessful, contact the Executive Director.
If ‘Step Four’ does not resolve the matter, contact the Office of Administrative Hearings, 6714 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-6714.

Foster Care Coordinator

Under the requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), DVS shall identify all students in foster care, have a foster care plan developed, and implement Title I educational stability provisions.

Jaimee Miller | Foster Care Coordinator
190 Rosewood Centre Drive, Suite 201
[email protected]
984.768.1200