McKinney - Vento Homeless Act
Students experiencing homelessness are entitled to enroll and attend school without delay. Federal law defines homeless children and youths as:
(A) individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and
(B) includes—
- children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement;
- children and youths 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 youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
- migratory children who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described above.
Upon enrolling a child in North Haven Public Schools, or if a change of living situation meets the requirements above, it is important the school know this information. Each school has a full time social worker who can assist families experiencing homelessness. In some instances, the determination to educate a child experiencing homelessness in our district may not be in the child's best interest. If this should occur, the parent would receive a written notification explaining this decision and the opportunity to appeal this decision.