Homeless Student Liason

The responsibilities of the Liaison are to:

Ensure that —

• Students enroll in and have full and equal opportunity to succeed in school.

• Children and youth in homeless situations are identified. • Homeless youth and their families receive eligible services.

• Students receive free breakfast and lunch.

• Parents or guardians are informed of educational and related opportunities available to children and given meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children.

• Parents or guardians and unaccompanied youth are fully informed of transportation services and assisted in accessing transportation.

• Enrollment disputes are mediated according to McKinneyVento.

• Public notice of rights is posted.

Assists in —

• Enrolling students and accessing school services.

• Obtaining immunization or medical records.

• Informing parents, school personnel and others of rights of the homeless.

• Working with school personnel to resolve disputes.

• Coordinating transportation services.

• Collaborating and coordinating with the state. coordinator and school personnel responsible for providing services to students

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Homeless Definition:

The term “homeless children and youth”—

A. means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence…; and

B. includes —

1. children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals;

2. children and youths 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. children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and

4. migratory children who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described in clauses (1) through (3).

Homeless students' rights include:

• ​Receive a free, appropriate public education.

• To receive FREE breakfast and lunch in schools that serve both.

• Enroll in school immediately, even if lacking documents normally required for enrollment.

• Enroll in school and attend classes while the school gathers needed documents.

• Enroll in the local school; or continue attending the school of origin (the school they attended when permanently housed or the school in which they were last enrolled), according to each student’s best interest.

  • If the school district believes that the school selected is not in the student’s best interest, the district must provide the parent, guardian or unaccompanied youth with a written explanation of its position and inform the parent, guardian or youth of the right to appeal its decision.

  • Receive transportation to and from the school of origin, if requested.

• Receive educational services comparable to those provided to other students, according to each student’s needs.