Homeless Youth

If you live in one of the following scenarios, you may qualify for certain rights and protections:

• Sharing housing due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason
• Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or campgrounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations
• Living in emergency or transitional shelters
• Abandoned in hospitals
• Have a primary nighttime residence that is not designed for, or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings
• Living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings
• Migratory children who live in any of the aforementioned situations

As parents raising children while trying to manage the difficulties of homelessness, the last thing you want to worry about is your children's education. The McKinney-Vento Act was created to give your children rights and protections as you navigate your way to a permanent housing situation. Your children's rights include:

• The right to enroll immediately even if you don't have all the required paperwork. Schools normally require parents to have birth certificates, proof of residency, school records, and medical records with them when they enroll their children. If you are experiencing one of the housing situations covered by the McKinney-Vento Act, you can enroll your children without these documents, although you may to get them later.
• The right to school placement at the school in their best interest. Your children may go to the school they attended when they were permanently housed, also called their school of origin, even if you are not staying in that district. Alternatively, your children may attend the school where you are temporarily staying. This right lasts the entire duration of your homelessness or until the end of the school year after you achieve permanent housing.
• The right to transportation services. Schools must provide your children with transportation to their school, if feasible, until you get permanent housing. Parents who need this service for their children should request it from the McKinney-Vento Liaison.
• The right to other services. The fees for breakfast and lunch provided by the school, as well as the fees for textbooks, should be waived for your children. They also are automatically eligible for Title I services which may include before- and after-school programs, tutoring programs, or other assistance such as graphing calculators required for math classes.
• The right to appeal decisions regarding enrollment and services. If the school district makes a decision about your child's school enrollment or the services that your child receives (such as transportation) that you disagree with, you have the right to appeal that decision. The school's McKinney-Vento Liaison should be contacted immediately to assist you with the appeal. While the dispute with the school district is being resolved, your child has the right to attend the school or receive the services in question.
• The right to attend school and school activities without the fear of being singled out. Children in unstable housing situations cannot be separated from their peers just because of their housing situation. They have the right to attend school and participate in extracurricular activities just like any other student.

Homeless Students' Rights

Monroe-Gregg School District has a McKinney-Vento District Liaison to assist you with understanding your rights and protections. In addition, they can assist with school related issues including enrollment, school transportation, immunizations, disputes, and more.  

Monroe-Gregg School District Liaison:                                                                                                                        
Brandy Hyatt
317-996-2352 ext. 3002
bhyatt@m-gsd.org

IDOE State Coordinators:                                                                                                                        
Flora Jones, Director of Student Pathways & Opportunities
Charie Gibson, Homeless Education Specialist
317-232-0957 or McKinneyVentoPOC@does.in.gov

For more information, please visit the links below:

• The McKinney-Vento: Homeless Children and Youth Program

• National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY)

• Teaching Resources from the National Coalition for Homelessness