Help For Homeless Students
Information For Parents
If your family lives in any of the following situations:
• In a shelter,
motel, vehicle, or campground
• On the street
• In an abandoned building, trailer, or other inadequate
accommodations, or
• Doubled up with friends or relatives because you cannot find or
afford housing
Then, your preschool-aged and school-aged children have certain
rights or protections under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education
Assistance Act.
Your children have the right to:
• Go to school, no matter where you
live or how long you have lived there. They must be given access to
the same public education, including preschool education,
provided
to other children.
• Continue in the school they attended before you became homeless
or the school they last attended, if that is your choice and is
feasible. If a school sends your child to a school other than the
one you request, the school must provide you with a written
explanation and offer you the right to appeal the decision.
• Receive transportation to the school they attended before your
family became homeless or the school they last attended, if you or
a guardian request such transportation.
• Attend a school and participate in school programs with children
who are not homeless. Children cannot be separated from the regular
school program because they are homeless.
• Enroll in school without giving a permanent address. Schools
cannot require proof of residency that might prevent or delay
school enrollment.
• Enroll and attend classes while the school arranges for the
transfer of school and immunization records or any other documents
required for enrollment.
•Enroll and attend classes in the school of your choice even while
the school and you seek to resolve a dispute over enrolling your
children.
• Receive the same special programs and services, if needed, as
provided to all other children served in these programs.
• Receive transportation to school and to school programs.
When you move, you should do the
following:
• Contact the school district’s local liaison for homeless
education (see phone number below) for help in enrolling your child
in a new school or arranging for your child to
continue in his or her former school. (Or, someone at a shelter,
social services office, or the school can direct you to the person
you need to contact.)
• Contact the school and provide any information you think will
assist the teachers in helping your child adjust to new
circumstances.
• Ask the local liaison for homeless education, the shelter
provider, or a social worker for assistance with clothing and
supplies, if needed.
If you need further assistance, call the National Center for Homeless Education at the toll-free helpline number.
1-800-308-2145
