K-12th Grade: Students Experiencing Homelessness Know Your Rights
These special rights under federal McKinney-Vento law apply to all children and teens without a fixed, regular adequate residence including if you are staying with friends or relatives because you lost your housing, you are waiting for foster placement, or you are living in any kind of shelter, car, motel, campground, abandoned building, garage, or similar place.
- Homeless children and youth do not need a permanent address to enroll in school;
- May remain at the same school they attended before becoming homeless, or enroll at the school serving the place they are living temporarily;
- Cannot be denied enrollment just because any documents are not immediately available;
- Have the right to participate in school meals, and any other federal, state or local programs for which they are eligible;
- Must be provided transportation if other children get transportation;
- Getting help with school supplies;
- Cannot be isolated or separated from the main school environment just because they are homeless.
For more information:
- National Homelessness Law Center: Know Your Rights Toolkit: https://homelesslaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/mvtoolkitfederal2019.pdf
- SchoolHouse Connection: Know Your Rights flyer – English & Spanish: https://schoolhouseconnection.org/editable-know-your-rights-flyers/
School contacts:
- Contact your school district’s McKinney-Vento Liaison to find out if you qualify for help.
- Contact your McKinney-Vento State Coordinator (https://nche.ed.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/SC-Contact-list-.pdf) if you can’t reach the Liaison or have other questions.