2940-Homeless Children and Youth
Washington County School District - Approved 3-21-2006
1. Purpose
The School District will ensure that each homeless child and youth has
equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including
a public preschool education, as other children and youth.
2. Policy
The School District will comply with the “Education for Homeless
Children and Youth Program, Title VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001,
Non-Regulatory Guidance,” updated July 2004
3. Procedure
3.1. School Enrollment
3.1.1. The McKinney-Vento Act defines
“homeless children and youth” as individuals who lack a
fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. The term
includes:
3.1.1.1. Children and youth who are:
o Sharing the housing
of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a
similar reason (sometimes referred to as doubled-up);
o Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping
grounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations;
o Living in emergency or transitional shelters;
o Abandoned in hospitals;
o Awaiting foster care placement; or
o Unaccompanied youth.
3.1.1.2. 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.
3.1.1.3. Children and youth who are living in cars, parks, public
spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train
stations, or similar settings; and
3.1.1.4. Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are living in circumstances described above.
3.1.2. A school selected on the basis
of a “best interest determination” must immediately enroll
the homeless child or youth, even if the child or youth is unable to
produce the records normally required for enrollment (such as previous
academic records, medical records, proof of residency, birth
certificates, or other documentation). The enrolling school must
immediately contact the school last attended by the child or youth to
obtain relevant academic or other records.
3.1.3. In determining what is a child or youth’s best interest,
an LEA must, to the extent feasible, keep a homeless child or youth in
the school of origin, unless doing so is contrary to the wishes of the
child or youth’s parent or guardian. If a State receives
funds under the McKinney-Vento program, every district in that
State-whether or not it receives a McKinney-Vento subgrant from its
SEA-is prohibited from segregating home less students in separate
schools or in separate programs within schools, based on the
child’s or youth’s status as homeless.
3.1.4. If a child or youth needs to obtain immunizations, or medical or
immunization records, the enrolling school must immediately refer the
parent or guardian to the LEA homeless liaison, who must assist in
obtaining the immunizations or records. The records must be
maintained so that they are available in a timely fashion when the
child enters a new school or school district. To facilitate
immediate enrollment, timely transfer of records from school-to-school
should also take into account procedures for state-to-state record
transfers.
3.2. Immunization
3.2.1. Students who meet the
requirements of homeless under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Act will
have 30 days to meet the immunization requirements.
3.3. Injuries.
3.3.1. If an unaccompanied youth (under
policy 2940 Homeless Children and Youth) has a medical emergency, the
school can contact the local emergency room. Medical
professionals should be familiar with the rules to treat minors and
will respond appropriately to medical emergencies. Liability for
injuries is based on a party’s failure to exercise reasonable
care. By exercising reasonable care in creating a safe
environment and responding appropriately to medical emergencies, the
school can help protect itself from liability.
3.4. Transportation
3.4.4. Under the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Act, homeless children and youth are entitled to receive
transportation and other services that are available to non-homeless
students, and ensure transportation is provided, at the request of the
parent or guardian (or, in the case of an unaccompanied youth, the
liaison) to and from the “school of origin” in accordance
with the following requirements:
3.4.4.1. If the homeless child or youth continues to live in the area
served by the LEA in which the school of origin is located, that LEA
must provide or arrange for the child’s or youth’s
transportation to or from the school of origin.
3.4.4.2. If the homeless child or youth continues his or her education
in the school of origin, but begins living in an area served by another
LEA, the LEA of origin and the LEA in which the homeless child or youth
is living must agree upon a method to apportion the responsibility and
costs for providing the child with transportation to and from the
school of origin. If the LEAs cannot agree upon a method, the
responsibility and costs for transportation are to be shared equally.
3.5. Free and Reduced Lunch
3.5.1. The application process for free
and reduced priced meals can be expedited for students experiencing
homelessness. Schools that have determined a student is homeless
and is eligible for subsidized meals may make this determination
without completing the full application process.