Title I - Homeless Program

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act ensures educational rights for children and youth experiencing homelessness. The primary goal is educational stability.

McKinney-Vento defines homeless students as those who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.

This includes:
Children and youth who:

• Are forced to share the housing of other persons due to the loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason (includes migratory children)
• Live in motels, hotels, trailer parks or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodation (includes migratory children)
• Live in emergency or transitional shelters (includes migratory children)
• Are abandoned in hospitals
• Are awaiting foster care placement
• Children and youth who have a primary night-time residence that is not designed for or ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodations for human beings
• Children and youth who live in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings
• Unaccompanied Youth are students who are not in the physical custody of a parent/guardian and are living in a homeless situation

Homeless students have certain educational rights and are able to:

1. Enroll without delay in school without proof of residency, immunization, school records, other documents or while documentation is being obtained;
2. Choose between the local school where they are living or the school last attended before becoming homeless, when requested by the parent and determined by the district to be feasible and in the student’s best interest;
3. Attend school and participate in school programs with children who are not homeless; and
4. Receive all the school services available to other students including transportation services, special educational services where applicable, and meals through the school meals programs.

To be considered eligible or for more information regarding homeless education services, contact the Student Services office at (706) 748-2236. Eligible students or their families should complete a Student Residency Statement (SRS) Form that is available at their local school.

Student Residency Statement - English Version
Student Residency Statement - Spanish Version
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act Guidance
Education for Homeless Children Resources