Temporary Housing & Education Rights

Youth who are homeless and who are not living with their parents or legal guardians can and should go to school.

What is an unaccompanied youth?
An unaccompanied youth is a youth who is not in the physical custody of his or her parents. Unaccompanied youth are covered under McKinney-Vento if they are living in temporary housing.

If I am living apart from my parents in a temporary housing situation, can I enroll in school without my parents?
YES. Unaccompanied youth DO NOT need a parent’s permission to enroll in school. School districts should enroll unaccompanied youth immediately.

Should a school district enroll a student who is 16 and is living with friends temporarily, but whose parents say they want the student to come home?
YES. Students who are not living with a parent or guardian and who are living in a temporary housing situation (in other words, a housing arrangement that is not fixed, regular and adequate) can enroll themselves in school even if their parent or guardian says they can return home. For many of these students, school is their only safe, nurturing environment for them. Schools should not refuse to enroll students in order to force them to go home or to punish them for leaving home.

Can a student go back to high school even though she is 20 years old and left school 2 years ago?
YES. All youth who have not received a high school diploma have the right to attend school through the school year when they turn 21, even if they have dropped out. Students who have earned GEDs can also return to school to work towards a regular diploma. There may be special programs just for older students who may not have a lot of credits in the district or the local BOCES. Contact your school district’s central administration or the LEA liaison to find out more about these programs.

If a student wants to stay in the same school and is temporarily living with friends in a different district, does the original school district have to provide the student with transportation?
YES. All students covered under McKinney-Vento (students who do not have a fixed, regular and adequate housing situation) are entitled to transportation back to the school they attended when they lived with their parents.

Children and youth who are temporarily housed have the right to choose between the local school or the school of origin when deciding where they would like to attend school.

What is the local school?
The local school is the school zoned for the area where the student is temporarily living or any school permanently housed students living in the same zone can attend.

What is the school of origin?
The school of origin is the school where the student was last enrolled or the school the student attended before she lost her housing. This also includes the school the student was entitled to attend when permanently housed.

What if this is my child’s first year of school?
If your child has never been enrolled in school, you should find outwhich school is zoned for the address where you are temporarily living and enroll your child in that school.

How do I decide whether to transfer my children to the local school?
There are many things to consider when deciding where to send your child to school, and every family is different. It’s often better to keep children in the school they have been attending so they can remain with their classmates and teachers they know. Students who transfer have to make new friends and get used to new classes, and it can take several months for students to catch up with their school work. But sometimes it makes sense to transfer because of transportation issues, and, for some families, safety concerns.