Rights of Homeless Students

The LEA/Charter District shall provide an educational environment that treats all students with dignity and respect. Every homeless student shall have access to the same free and appropriate educational opportunities as students who are not homeless. This commitment to the educational rights of homeless children, youth, and unaccompanied youth, applies to all services, programs, and activities provided or made available.

McKinney-Vento Definition of Homeless:

The term “homeless children and youth”— means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence [42 U.S.C. § 11434a(2)].

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 The school in the attendance area in which the student housed. 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:

LEA Homeless Liaison State Homeless Education Program Coordinator

Evelyn See Arizona Department of Education

Altar Valley School District 1535 W. Jefferson Street

10105 S. Sasabe Road Phoenix, AZ 85007

Tucson, AZ 85736 (602) 542-4963

(520) 822-9343 Homeless@azed.gov

esee@avsd.org www.azed.gov/homeless

C H I L D F I N D

Children who are between birth and twenty-one years of age and have a developmental delay, or are suspected of having a disabling or emotionally handicapping condition, may be eligible for special services. To determine if a developmental delay exists, professional evaluations and/or assessments may be conducted in the areas of:

Physical Development
Language and Speech Skills
Social and Emotional Skills
Cognitive or Mental Development
Self-Help Skills (e.g., dressing, feeding, etc.)

Altar Valley School District’s CHILD FIND can help with a free screening and referral for diagnostic and/or early intervention programs.

For newborns through two year olds, parents may contact:

Department of Economic Security

Division of Developmental

Disabilities Child Family Services

4710 E. 29th St.

For three through twenty-one year olds, contact:

Altar Valley School District

Special Services Director

(520) 822-9201