Homeless and Foster Youth

McKinney-Vento Act

  Section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento Act 10 defines “homeless children and youths” as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. The term includes:

• Children and youth who are:

    Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason (sometimes referred to as “doubled-up”);
    Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations;
    Living in emergency or transitional shelters; or
    Abandoned in hospitals;
    Children and youth 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;
    Children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
    Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are living in circumstances described above.

  Homeless youth can enroll in school even if they have uncertain housing, a temporary address or no permanent physical address.  They are guaranteed enrollment in school by the federal McKinney-Vento Act and California state law if they live: 

  •     In a shelter (family, domestic violence or youth shelter) or a transitional living program
  •     In a motel, hotel or weekly rate housing
  •     In a house or apartment with more than one family because of economic hardship or loss
  •     In temporary foster care or with an adult who is not a parent or guardian
  •     In substandard housing without electricity, water or heat
  •     With friends or family because they are a runaway or unaccompanied youth

  To enroll or attend school, if you live under any of these conditions, you do not need to provide:

  •     Proof of residency
  •     Immunization records or TB skin test results
  •     School records
  •     Legal guardianship papers

  You may:

    Participate fully in all school activities and programs for which you are eligible
    Continue to attend the school in which you were last enrolled even if you have moved away from that school's attendance boundary or district.
    Receive transportation from your current residence back to your school of origin
    Qualify automatically for free and reduced-price breakfast and lunches
    Contact the district's homeless youth liaison to resolve any disputes that arise during the enrollment process.

FOSTER YOUTH EDUCATION RIGHTS

 

  1. RIGHT TO REMAIN IN YOUR SCHOOL OF ORIGIN
  2. RIGHT TO IMMEDIATE ENROLLMENT IN SCHOOL
  3. RIGHT TO PARTIAL CREDITS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS  
  4. GRADUATION RIGHTS
  5. COLLEGE RIGHTS
  6. SCHOOL DISCIPLINE RIGHTS
  7. RIGHT TO YOUR SCHOOL RECORDS

NON-EDUCATION RIGHTS As a foster youth, you also have other rights that are not related to school, such as the right to see a doctor or to have private storage space. For more information, please see the Foster Youth Bill of Rights (www.fosteryouthhelp. ca.gov/rights2.html)

*EDUCATION RIGHTS HOLDERS Every foster youth under age 18 must have an education rights holder, who is required to make education decisions in the youth’s best interest. Foster youth who are 18 or older have the right to make their own education decisions. Your education rights holder may be your parent or legal guardian, your caregiver, or another person chosen by the court. Your education rights holder cannot be your social worker or probation officer, your attorney, or group home or school staff members. It is important to know who your education rights holder is. If you need information about who your education rights holder is, you can contact your social worker or attorney.

If you believe your education rights have been violated, you can file a complaint. The school has 60 days to investigate and give you a written response. For information about how to file a complaint, please visit cde.ca.gov/re/cp/uc, or call the California Dept. of Education Coordinated School Health and Safety Office at (916) 319-0914. For more information about your education rights, please see the Foster Youth Education Toolkit (www. kids-alliance.org/edtoolkit) or the California Youth Education Task Force (www.cfyetf.org). You also can contact your school district’s Foster Youth Educational Liaison or your county’s Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program (FYSC) at cde.ca.gov/ls/pf/fy.

 

Your CVUSD Foster Youth Educational Liaison is:

Jess Sanchez and he can be reached at 760-848-1084

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