Homeless Students: Enrollment Rights and Services
To the extent practical and as required by law, the district will work with homeless students and their families to provide stability in school attendance and other services. Special attention will be given to ensuring the enrollment and attendance of homeless students not currently attending school. Homeless students enrolled in the district will have a full and equal opportunity to succeed in the district schools.
A. Definition of Homeless Student
Homeless students are defined as lacking a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence, including:
- Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing or economic hardship;
- Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations;
- Living in emergency or transitional shelters;
- Being abandoned in hospitals;
- Awaiting foster care placement;
- Living in public or private places not designed for or ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodations for human beings;
- Living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, transportation stations or similar settings;
- Migratory children living in conditions described in the previous examples.
B. District Liaison
The Special Education Administrator will be the district's liaison for homeless students and their families, unless a different liaison is designated by the Superintendent.
The district's liaison shall seek to identify homeless students by working with school personnel or with other appropriate entities and agencies. The liaison shall coordinate with local social service agencies that provide services to homeless children and youths and their families; other school districts on issues of transportation and records transfers; and state and local housing agencies responsible for comprehensive housing affordability strategies. The liaison will disseminate public notice of the educational rights of homeless students as appropriate in places they receive services. The district's liaison will also review and recommend amendments to district policies that may act as barriers to the enrollment of homeless students.
C. Enrollment
According to the best interests of the homeless student, the district will:
- continue the student's education in the student's school of origin (the school the student attended when permanently housed or in which the student was last enrolled) while the student remains homeless or until the end of the academic year in which the student obtains permanent housing; or
- enroll the student in the public school assigned to the attendance area in which the students is actually living.
In determining the best interest of the student, the district will, to the extent feasible, keep a homeless student in the school of origin, except when doing so is contrary to the wishes of the child's parent or guardian. All attendance rights granted by district policies will be available to homeless families on the same terms as families resident in the district.
If there is an enrollment dispute, the student shall be immediately enrolled in the school in which enrollment is sought, pending resolution of the dispute. The parent or guardian shall be provided with a written explanation of the district's decision, if the district sends the student to a school other than the school of origin or a school requested by the parent or guardian. The district also will provide a written statement of the appeal rights of the parent, guardian, or student. The district's liaison will carry out dispute resolution as provided by state requirements.
In the case of an unaccompanied youth, the district liaison will assist in any placement or enrollment decision, consider the views of the unaccompanied youth, and provide the youth notice of the right to appeal the decision. The unaccompanied youth will be immediately enrolled in school pending resolution of the dispute.
Once the enrollment decision is made, the school shall immediately enroll the homeless student, pursuant to district policies, even if the student is unable to produce records normally required for enrollment. The district or enrolling school shall immediately contact the school last attended by the student to obtain relevant academic or other records. Emergency contact information is required at the time of enrollment consistent with district policies.
If the student needs to obtain immunizations, or immunization or medical records, the District liaison shall assist in obtaining necessary immunizations, or immunizations or medical records. Students and families should be encouraged to obtain current immunization records or immunizations as soon as possible
D. Transportation
Homeless students are entitled to transportation to their school of origin. If the school of origin is in a different district, or a homeless student is living in another district but will attend his or her school of origin in this district, the districts will coordinate the transportation services necessary for the student, or will divide the costs equally. If the student is enrolled in a school other than the school of origin, transportation will be provided in accordance with district policies.
E. Services
Homeless students will be provided any district services for which they are eligible, including Head Start and comparable pre-school programs, Title I, similar state programs, special education, bilingual education, and school nutrition programs.
The district liaison will ensure that parents and guardians of homeless students are informed of the educational and related opportunities available to their children, including transportation to and from the school of origin, and that parents and guardians are provided with meaningful opportunities to participate in their children's education.
The district liaison will ensure that homeless students receive referrals to health care services, dental services, mental health services and other appropriate services.
The schools will maintain records for homeless students as are ordinarily kept for all students and such that the records are available in a timely fashion when the student enters a new school or district.
Ref.: McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Subtitle B (42 U.S.C. 11431 et. seq.), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act, Title X, Part C, §§ 721-726.
A summary of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is available in PDF format.
School Committee Meeting 10/19/2005