Educational Rights of Families & Students Experiencing Housing Instability

Families experiencing homelessness are protected by a federal law called the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. This law remains in full effect during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Homelessness may include these situations:

  • Sharing the housing of others due to the loss of housing, an economic hardship, or similar circumstances
  • Living in temporary housing, such as a motel, hotel, trailer park, or camping ground,
    due to lack of adequate alternative accommodations
  • Living in an emergency or transitional shelters, or having been abandoned in a hospital
  • Living in a public or private place not designed for humans to live in, such as a car

Students experiencing homelessness have the right to the following:

  • Immediately enroll in school, attend classes, and participate in all school activities, even if they do not have their school records, medical records, or any other documents schools ask for during the enrollment process
  • Stay in their school of origin, or the school in which they were last enrolled before becoming homeless, if it is in their best interest to do so in order to be successful in school
  • Attend the local school closest to the where the family currently lives, if it is in the best interest of the student
  • Receive transportation assistance to and from school
  • Receive assistance with obtaining a school uniform, if wearing a uniform is required by the school
  • Request help from the local homeless liaison for other kinds of support, such as medical, dental, mental, and other health-related services

If you are experiencing housing instability and are interested in additional support and resources, please fill out and submit this form or contact the Creative Minds homeless liaison, Latrisha Wright, at latrisha.wright@creativemindspcs.org. Note that we respect each family’s right to privacy and will keep shared information confidential.

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