McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act ensures education rights and protections for children and youth experiencing homelessness.
Definition of homelessness: Children and youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This includes:
- Children and youth sharing housing with others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or campgrounds due to lack of alternative accommodations; living in emergency or transitional shelters; or abandoned in hospitals.
- Children and youth whose primary nighttime residence is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation.
- Children and youth living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings.
- Migratory children (as defined in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act) who qualify as homeless because they are living in the circumstances described above.
According to McKinney-Vento:
- Fixed residence: stationary, permanent, and not subject to change
- Regular residence: used on a consistent (nightly) basis
- Adequate residence: sufficient to meet both physical and psychological needs
Children and youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate residence are considered homeless under this law.
Rights of Students Experiencing Homelessness
- Immediate enrollment: Students have the right to enroll in school immediately, attend classes, and participate fully in school activities.
- School of origin: Students may continue attending the school they attended when permanently housed, or the school where they were last enrolled. This includes designated receiving schools for the next grade level.
- Unaccompanied youth: Students not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian still have full educational rights and protections.
Contact for Assistance
Matthew DuBois, Ph.D., NCSP
Senior Director of Clinical Services and Social-Emotional Learning
Email: matthew_dubois@psbma.org
Phone: 617-730-2433