• Homeless and Unaccompanied Youths

     

    The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (McKinney-Vento Act) (42 U.S.C. § 11431-11435) is federal legislation that ensures the educational rights and protections of children and youth experiencing homelessness. It requires all local educational agencies (LEAs) to ensure that homeless students have access to the same free, appropriate public education, including public preschools, as provided to other children and youth. The McKinney-Vento Act defines LEAs as public school districts, direct-funded and locally funded charter schools, and county offices of education. The McKinney-Vento Act also authorizes the funding for the federal Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program.

    The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children and youth as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This definition also includes:

    • Children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason

    • Children and youth who may be living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, shelters

    • Children and youth who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings

    • Children and youth who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings, or

    • Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are children who are living in similar circumstances listed above

     
    Student Rights
     
    Eligible students have the right to:
    1. Receive a free, appropriate public education;
    2. Enroll in school immediately, even if lacking documents normally required for enrollment;
    3. Enroll in school and attend classes while the school gathers needed documents;
    4. Enroll in the local school; or continue attending their school of origin (the school the student attended when permanently housed or the school in which the student was last enrolled), if that is their preference and is feasible.  If the school district believes that the school selected is not in his/her best interest, then the district must provide the student with a written explanation of its position and inform the student of his/her right to appeal its decision.
    5. Receive transportation to the school of origin, if requested.
    6. Receive educational services comparable to those provided for other students, according to the students' needs.

     

    For eligibility information, please contact one of the following liaisons at 661-763-2300

    Stacey Stansberry - Director of Education Technology & Curricular Innovation

    Lynna Pitts - Administrative Assistant to The Director of Education Technology & Curricular Innovation
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