McKinney Vento Homeless Liaison

Many families experiencing homelessness don’t always know what resources and services are available to them, they don’t know what rights and protections their children have in school, and they don’t know where to go for help. We are here to help! If you are currently living in a homeless situation and do not have stable or adequate housing, your first step is to contact your local school district liaison.. If you are not able to reach your local liaison or if you need additional assistance or guidance, please contact the Homeless Education State Coordinator listed above.

If you are living in any of the following situations:

• Shared housing with other friends or families.
• Runaway/homeless youth, and students who are not living with a parent or legally court-appointed guardian.
• Temporary or transitional housing.
• Emergency and domestic violence shelters.
• Motels or hotels.
• Campgrounds or inadequate trailer homes.
• Substandard housing (homes without heat, water, or working appliances).
• Cars, abandoned buildings, parks, the streets or other public spaces.

We may be able to help you or your child:

• Enroll in school.
• Remain in your school if you move to another area.
• Provide transportation to and from school.
• Receive free school meals.
• Provide clothing, school supplies and any other items required to attend school or participate in extracurricular activities.
• Assist with school fees.
• Social referrals.
• Other services.
• And much, much more.

If you are living in any of the following situations, you or your McKinney-Vento eligible children have the right to:

• Receive a free, appropriate public education.
• Enroll in school immediately, even if lacking documents normally required for enrollment.
• Enroll in school and attend classes while the school gathers needed documents.
• Enroll in the local school; or continue attending the school of origin (the school they attended when permanently housed or the school in which they were last enrolled), if that is your preference. *If the school district believes that the school you select is not in the best interest of your children, then the district must provide you with a written explanation of its position and inform you of your right to appeal its decision.
• Receive transportation to and from the school of origin, if you request this.
• Receive educational services comparable to those provided to other students, according to your children’s needs. Children with special education needs between the ages of 3 and 21 are eligible to receive special needs services. If you believe your child may be eligible, contact your school or the district Special Education office.

Children and youths experiencing homelessness have the right to:

• Go to school, no matter where they live or how long they have lived there;
• Stay in the school that they were attending before being in transition, the school they last attended, or the local enrollment school if that is their choice and it is in the best interest of the child;
• Enroll in school immediately, even if they do not have all the paperwork, such as school or medical records or any other documentation required by the school district to enroll;
• Unaccompanied youths must be accorded specific protections, including immediate enrollment in school without proof of guardianship;
• Be provided transportation to or from the child’s school of origin;
• Access the same special programs and services that are provided to other children, including special education, migrant education and vocational education;
• Receive the same public education that is provided to other children, including preschool, where applicable. (Your child cannot be separated from the mainstream school environment because they are in transition. They cannot be segregated in a separate school, separate programs within a school, or separate settings within a school);
• Parents, guardians, and unaccompanied youths have the right to dispute an eligibility, school selection, or enrollment decisions.