TOPIC

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

 What qualifies a student for services through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act?

Children who:

• live in a shelter, transitional shelter, motel campground, abandoned in a hospital, or awaiting foster care,

• live in a car, park, public place, bus, train or abandoned building,

• live in doubled up situations with friends or relatives because you cannot find or afford housing., or

• live with an adult who is not a parent or guardian, or alone with friends.
  

 What are the rights of  children under this law?

• Immediate enrollment even if parents don't have required documents like ID, proff of address, immunizations, birth certificate, social security card and other items.
  

• School selection: parents have the choice of two schools for enrollment:
  a) The school the child attended when
  permanently housed or the school in which
  the student was last enrolled (school of
  origin); or
  b) The school in which the child is
  temporarily residing.
  

• Transportation services
  

• Will be enrolled and placed in a classroom with all other children.
  
  

Important Information:

• Each campus has a Homeless Contact person who can provide assistance for any child who is eligible for McKinney-Vento services.
  

• If a children/youth is unaccompanied (not living with a parent or guardian) the student can enroll themselves.
  
  

School Selection:

All SAISD schools must allow parents/guardians the right to choose the child's school when their child is homeless. The parent/guardian may choose between:

a) The school the child attended when permanently housed (school of origin) or the school in which the student was last enrolled; or

b) The school in which the child is temporarily residing.

School Enrollment:

• Every eligible child must be enrolled within two days even of documentation is not available.
  

• Immediately qualifies a child for Early Childhood Education including Head Start.
  
  

Enrollment Dispute:

• If a parent's decision of school enrollement is not granted, the Dispute/Resolution Form (F1-J) must be completed. Your child must be immendiately enrolled to the school in which you are seeking enrollment, pending the resolution of the dispute.
  

• The parent/guardian must be provided with a written explanation of the school decision on the dispute, including the right to appeal. The form and family must be referred to the Transitions Program for assistance.

• If the child is unaccompanied (not living with parent or guardian), the same dispute process is applicable to the student.
  
  

Transportation:

• Transportation for eligible students will be provided to the school of origin or the school in which they temporarily reside.
  

• Students who are eligible for transportation are those that live 2 or more miles away from the school where enrolled.

• VIA bus tickets will be provided to the parent for school attendance until the school bus schedule is available.

• VIA semester passes are available to students who are able to navigate the metro system on their own.