On July 22, 1987, the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act became public law. This was the first comprehensive federal law dealing with the problems of homelessness in America. Recently included in the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, it is now called the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act of 2001. The Education for Homeless Children and Youths (EHCY) program, authorized under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (McKinney-Vento Act), is designed to address the needs of homeless children and youths and ensure educational rights and protections for these children and youths. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) amended the McKinney-Vento Act, and changes made by the ESSA will take effect on October 1, 2016.

The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts (Charter Arts) identifies students experiencing homelessness, and implements strategies to address barriers to enrollment, attendance, and participation in school activities. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act defines the term "homeless children and youths" as individuals who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. Students in homeless situations have the right to:

• Be identified as homeless and receive Title I services

• Be immediately enrolled in school despite their unstable housing situation and despite their inability to produce documents ordinarily required of students who have a permanent residence

• Receive assistance in procuring school records

• Be allowed to stay in the school they attended when they became homeless or the school in which they were last enrolled (called school of origin)

• Be transported from their current place of residence to the school of origin to reduce the need for them to transfer from school to school

• Receive referrals to appropriate services

• Receive assistance in acquiring school supplies, standard dress or uniforms, backpacks, and other provisions needed to succeed in school.

Note: If a student is in a temporary living situation, he/she may be able to remain in his/her current school. Talk with Charter Arts staff before dis-enrolling.

WHO ARE THE HOMELESS?

Homeless children may be found in the following places:

• Public or private shelters;

• Public or private places not designated for or ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodations, such as vehicles, parks, motels, campgrounds, etc.;

• With a parent in a domestic violence shelter;

• With relatives or friends due to lack of housing;

• In transitional housing programs;

• In a temporary living situation due to an event such as fire, domestic violence, eviction or code violations;

Those also considered homeless are:

• Runaway children (under 18 years of age) and children/youth who have been abandoned or forced out of home by parents or other caretakers. They may be in temporary shelters awaiting assistance from social service agencies, or may live alone on the street or move from place to place among family members, friends or acquaintances. This also includes youth from 18 through 21 years of age who may still be eligible for educational services in regular or special education;

• Children of migrant families who lack adequate housing;

• Children abandoned in hospitals or awaiting foster care;

• School-age, unwed or expectant mothers living in houses for unwed mothers when they have no other available living accommodations.

Contact Information:

Ms. LJ Abell, School Social Worker, labell@charterarts.org

610-868-2971 ext 2220