Homeless Education Program Overview
Defining Homeless
The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children as "individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence." The act provides examples of children who would fall under this definition:
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Children and youth sharing housing due to loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason
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Children and youth living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camp grounds due to lack of alternative accommodations
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Children and youth living in emergency or transitional shelters or transitional housing (this generally includes a time limit on the housing assistance and case management by the housing agency)
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Children and youth whose primary nighttime residence is not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation (e.g. park benches, etc)
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Children and youth living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations
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Children and youth abandoned in hospitals
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Migratory children and youth living in any of the above situations
Eligibility
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act makes certain provisions available for homeless students, and defines homelessness as lacking “a fixed, regular, or adequate nighttime residence.” A student is considered homeless if he/she lacks any one of these three and lives…
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in a shelter
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in a motel
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in a car, park, bus station, or other public space
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in a campground or substandard house or trailer (no utilities, open to outside elements, pest infestation)
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doubled-up with another family on a temporary basis due to loss of housing
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as a youth unaccompanied by a parent or legal guardian
McKinney-Vento Rights for Students
Students who are experiencing homelessness have the right to…
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enroll in their school of origin (school of attendance when student became homeless), OR enroll in the school that is zoned for the area where they currently live.
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enroll immediately and attend school, even if the student does not have the usual documents necessary for enrollment, including proof of residence or proof of guardian. (NOTE: Schools MUST permit homeless students to enroll without documents.)
Dispute Resolution
Disagreements over eligibility, school selection, or enrollment may be disputed.
If a dispute arises the child or youth must be immediately enrolled in the school of origin or school located in the child’s attendance zone, as requested by the parent, guardian, or unaccompanied youth, pending final resolution of the dispute, including all available appeals.
McKinney-Vento (MV) disputes should be resolved locally, whenever possible, and must go through the local McKinney-Vento Dispute Resolution process. To learn more about filing a dispute within a district, please consult with the District McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison.
Identification of Displaced Families and Unaccompanied Youth Form
To determine eligibility, please complete the Identification of Displaced Families and Unaccompanied Youth Form
Contacts
Heather Hedrick is Castleberry ISD's local McKinney-Vento Liaison; [email protected] or (817) 252-2287.