Migrant Education

Migrant Education is a federally funded program authorized under Title I, Part C, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015.  Our Migrant Education Program is designed to provide supplementary educational and support services to identified migrant students. The GUSD Migrant Education serves students during the summer and regular school year.

Migrant Education provides supplemental educational support for Migrant-qualified students as well as health and parent support services through collaborations with district schools, other district programs and community agencies to maximize the potential of migrant students. Working closely with parents, the district designs its own annual plan of services to provide the most effective program possible for students and ensure equitable opportunities and increase graduation rates.  Targeted Preschool, Kinder Transition and Family Literacy services are also offered through Migrant Education Even Start funding.

THE GUSD MIGRANT EDUCATION PROGRAM OFFERS model programs and interventions which have gained regional and state-wide recognition and have been replicated in other districts in Region 1 as follows:

Summer Services:  Kinder Readiness; ELD and Technology Academies;  College Field Trips; Transitional Services for Out-of-State Students, and Health Services.

Regular Year Services:  School site-based Preschool and Kinder Readiness; Seasonal Academic Support Teachers; Academic Counseling Health Care Services and Linkages with Community Clinics and Agencies;  Out-of- School-Youth Support  Services (for Here-to-Work and Drop-Out Youth);  Parent Orientations and Leadership training

Parent Involvement and Leadership Development: Leadership development is on-going with the Migrant Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) which elects officers every two years. The PAC advises on all aspects of the Migrant Education program, including budget development and staffing. Parent involvement also includes parent orientations for newcomers, incoming preschool and kinder students, and a Fall parent-student institute for parents of students in the GUSD High Schools. Migrant parents access Family Literacy and Adult ESL through partnerships with Gavilan College and GUSD Adult Education.

Children are eligible to receive Migrant Education Program services if they meet the definition of “migratory child” and if the basis for their eligibility is properly recorded on a certificate of eligibility (COE) or other written or electronic form. The term "migratory child" is defined in section 1309(2) of the statute and section 200.81 (e) of the regulations.

Determining whether a child meets this definition is often difficult and depends on a recruiter's assessment of information presented by a parent, spouse, or guardian.

According to sections 1115(b)(1)(A) and 1309(2) of the statute and sections 200.81 (e) and 200.81(g) of the regulations, a child is eligible for the Migrant Education Program if:

1. The child is younger than 22 and has not graduated from high school or does not hold a high school equivalency certificate (this means that the child is entitled to a free public education or is of an age below compulsory school attendance); and
2. The child is a migrant agricultural worker or a migrant fisher or has a parent, spouse, or guardian who is a migrant agricultural worker or a migrant fisher; and
3. The child has moved within the preceding 36 months in order to obtain (or seek) or to accompany (or join) a parent, spouse, or guardian to obtain (or seek), temporary or seasonal employment in qualifying agricultural or fishing work; and
4. The child has moved from one school district to another; and
5. The child has changed from one residence to another residence due to economic necessity.

According to section 200.81 (d) of the regulations, a migratory agricultural worker is “a person who, in the preceding 36 months, has moved from one school district to another . . . in order to obtain temporary employment or seasonal employment in agricultural work, including dairy work.

A recruiter must use sound and reasonable judgment to determine whether the particular facts and circumstances support a determination that the worker moved with this intent. In certain situations, the recruiter should provide additional comments on the COE, and/or obtain supporting documentation, to explain his or her rationale.