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Migrant Education Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What is the migrant education program (MEP)?
| The migrant education program (MEP) is a federally funded program that assists school districts and local educational agencies in providing supplementary services to migratory children and youth. Through local public schools the program helps children develop oral and written language and other communication skills. It focuses on reading and mathematics, along with other core subjects to improve student achievement and provides support for high school credit accrual opportunities. MEP frequently works to enhance our students English Language skills. Services may be provided both at school, in the home or on the farm. |
2. How is the Migrant Education Program funded?
| The Migrant Education Program is authorized under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, Part C and received federal funds. |
3. What is the purpose of the migrant education program?
| The general purpose of the MEP is to ensure that migrant children fully benefit from the same free public education provided to other children. To achieve this purpose, the MEP helps local school districts address the special educational needs of migrant children to better enable them to succeed academically. |
4. When does eligibility of a child begin? When does eligibility end?
| A child's eligibility for the MEP begins when the child completes a qualifying move. It ends after 36 months, graduation from high school, or completion of a GED/HSED. |
5. Does the Migrant Education Program serve only legally residing children and families?
| As a result of the 1982 Supreme Court case, Plyler v. Doe, all children, regardless of their legal documentation status, are entitled to a free public education in the United States of America. |
6. Can anyone qualify to be counted as migrant regardless of race?
| Yes. As long as the child or young adult meets the criteria for eligibility to be considered migrant, s/he qualifies. Race is never a qualifying factor. (See the definition of a migrant child.) |
7. What is the difference between migrant and immigrant?
| By definition, a migrant is a person that moves from one region to another, or an itinerant worker who travels from one area to another in search of agricultural work. The person who moves is also referred to as migratory. The root of the term comes from the verb "to migrate," which has to do with movement from one region to another. The term immigrant refers to a person who leaves one country to settle in another. So, for example, people who come into the U.S. from other countries and settle here are immigrants. The term migrant, in the case of the migrant education program, refers to a move for the purpose of obtaining work directly related to agriculture or fishing. Neither term infers anything related to legal status. |
8. Can anyone qualify to be counted as migrant regardless of race?
| A move qualifies is a move across school district boundaries; and it involves a change of residence; and the purpose of the worker's move is to obtain qualifying work in agriculture or fishing; and the purpose of the worker's move was not to relocate on a permanent basis; and it occurred within the preceding 36 months. |
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