Homeless
"Through it all, school is probably the only thing that has kept me going.
I know that every day that I walk in those doors, I can stop thinking about my problems for the next six hours and concentrate on what is most important to me."
-Formerly homeless student, LeTendre Scholar, 2002
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
The Homeless Information Page is designed to help identify homeless students within the Newport School District. The reauthorized McKinney-Vento Act requires school districts to have processes in place to ensure educational access and success for students experiencing homelessness.
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Defining Homeless
The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children as "individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence." The act provides examples of children who would fall under this definition:
- Children and youth sharing housing due to loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason
- Children and youth living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camp grounds due to lack of alternative accommodations
- Children and youth living in emergency or transitional shelters
- Children and youth abandoned in hospitals
- Children and youth whose primary nighttime residence is not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation (e.g. park benches, etc)
- Children and youth living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations
- Migratory children and youth living in any of the above situation
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act guarantees students the right to:
- Stay in the school they last attended when permanently housed or last school enrolled. Students are allowed to stay in this school through the remainder of the school year.
- Immediately enroll, attend classes and participate fully in school activities in the area where they are living - even when lacking proof of residency, immunization, medical or school records, or other documents usually required by schools.
- Have transportation to their "school of origin" provided or arranged by the school district.
- Access all school services including free school meals, Special Education and Title I services, Vocational and Technical classes, Gifted and Talented services and after school programs provided by the District.
- Enroll in their school of choice and have disagreements in school choice settled quickly, staying in their school of choice until the disagreement is settled.
- Meet the high academic achievement standards expected of all students.