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LEAs should consider the needs of the migratory children and which supplemental services to provide when deciding whether to accept or decline the Title I, Part C Migrant funds and implement an MEP. LEAs may decide to accept the MEP funds independently or as a member of an SSA through an ESC. Regardless of the number of migratory students identified, if the district elects to accept this funding, their responsibilities remain the same.
LEAs that do not receive or choose not to accept MEP funding from the state are Non-Project Districts. These LEAs are still responsible for serving the needs of all migratory students in their districts. Non-Project Districts must work with the regional ESC MEP staff to fulfill the requirements for ID&R and TX-NGS data entry. LEAs must also maintain documentation indicating that active, year-round identification and recruitment is taking place.
This section will address only the responsibilities of Non-Project Districts. Since the regional ESC is an important partner for a Non-Project District, their responsibilities are addressed in the Responsibilities of ESCs Supporting Non-Project Districts section. It is recommended that staff at Non-Project Districts and the MEP staff at ESCs each review both sections in order to best understand how they must work together for the MEP. Responsibilities of Independent Project Districts and SSA Member Districts are addressed in separate sections.
Federal and State Expectations
Federal law requires that the state identify and recruit every eligible migratory student residing in Texas. Identification means determining the presence and location of migratory children within a state. Recruitment means describing the benefits of the MEP to the child and the family, obtaining the necessary information to document the child’s eligibility, and enrolling the child in the MEP.1 In addition, the TEA requires all school districts in Texas to identify migratory students residing within their boundaries.2
While all LEAs that receive MEP funds are required to conduct their own ID&R for the program, ESCs are responsible for assisting all LEAs that don’t receive MEP funds with the identification and recruitment of their migratory children.
If the LEA does not receive MEP funds, the TEA requests that the district work collaboratively with the regional ESC to recruit all eligible migratory students residing in the school district area, including OSY, and to add these children into the TX-NGS database.3
Show references
1Texas Education Agency, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 Texas Manual for the Identification and Recruitment of Migrant Children (Texas Education Agency, 2019), 5.33
2Texas Education Agency, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 Texas Manual for the Identification and Recruitment of Migrant Children, 5.10
3Texas Education Agency, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 Texas Manual for the Identification and Recruitment of Migrant Children, 5.33