McKinney-Vento

A student may be considered eligible for services as a “Homeless Child or Youth” under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act if he or she is presently living in one of the following situations:

• sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason,
• living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations,
• living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals,
• 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,
• living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings, or
• is a migratory child who qualifies as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described above.

To remove educational barriers for children and youths experiencing homelessness, the McKinney-Vento Act mandates the following: Immediate Enrollment: Documentation and immunization records cannot serve as a barrier to the enrollment in school [42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(3)(C)].

School Selection and Maintained Enrollment: McKinney Vento eligible students have a right to select from the options outlined below. Students may remain enrolled in their selected schools for the duration of homelessness and until the end of the academic year upon which they are permanently housed or enroll the child or youth in any public school that non-homeless students who live in the attendance area in which the child or youth is living are eligible to attend. [42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(3)(A), 42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(3)(B) and 42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(3)(I) (i)].

School of Origin	School of Residency
The school the student attended when permanently housed	The school in the attendance area in which the student currently resides
The school in which the student was last enrolled

Transportation Services: McKinney-Vento eligible students attending their School of Origin have a right to transportation to and from the School of Origin [42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(1)(J)(iii)].

Participation in Programs: McKinney-Vento eligible students are guaranteed the right to services comparable to services offered to other students in the school [42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(4) & (6)(iii)].

Unaccompanied Youth Experiencing Homelessness: McKinney-Vento eligible students are guaranteed the right to immediate enrollment without proof of guardianship [42 U.S.C. §1432(g)(1)(H)(iv)].

Access to Extracurricular Activities: Removal of barriers to accessing academic and extracurricular activities for homeless students who meet relevant eligibility criteria [42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(1)(F)(iii)].

Dispute Resolution: If you disagree with school officials about enrollment, transportation, or fair treatment of a homeless child or youth, you may file a complaint with the school district [42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(3)(E)].

Appointment of a Local Homeless Liaison: The McKinney-Vento Act mandates the appointment of a local Homeless Liaison in every school district or local education agency (LEA) to ensure that homeless children and youth are enrolled in and have a full and equal opportunity to succeed in school [42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(1)(J)(ii) and U.S.C. §11432(g)(6)(A)].

For more information, refer to Arizona Department of Education, Homeless Education, 42 USC Chapter 119, Subchapter VI, Part B: Education for Homeless Children and Youths, and the AZ State ESSA Plan. You may also contact:

Gretchen Wesbrock
Mingus Union High School District
1801 East Fir Street
Cottonwood, AZ 86326
(928) 478-7944

State Homeless Education Program Coordinator
Arizona Department of Education
1535 W. Jefferson Street
Phoenix, AZ 85007
(602) 542-4963