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Families in Transition
Students Experiencing Homelessness
Every homeless student shall have equal access to the same free and appropriate opportunities as students who are not homeless. A student may be considered eligible for services under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act if he or she is presently living:
- In temporary shared housing, a shelter, or a transitional living program
- In a hotel/motel, campground, or similar situation due to a lack of alternatives, or
- At a bus station, park, car, or abandoned building
All homeless students have the right to immediate school enrollment. Each school must immediately enroll students even if they lack health, immunization or school records, proof of guardianship, or proof of residency. This would include enrollment in the following school options:
- The school he/she attended before his/her family became homeless
- The school in which he/she was last enrolled
- The school in the same attendance area where he/she is currently residing
School choice: A homeless student can remain enrolled in his/her selected school for as long as he/she remains homeless or, if the student becomes permanently housed, until the end of the academic year
Equal participation: Schools must offer equal participation in tutoring programs, special education services, gifted and talented programs, before and after school programs, school-related activities, and/or other support services:
- Free school meals
- Community information
- Transportation services
- McKinney Vento Information Sheet
- Transitional (homeless) student information
Foster Care
The Every Student Achieves Act provides all children and youth in foster care with core protections for school stability and school access through a statutory vehicle that is separate from the McKinney-Vento Act, and that outlines clear, distinct and appropriate responsibilities for both the education and child welfare agencies.