El Dorado

530.622-5081 or 916.933-5165, ext. 7229

Your Child's Educational Rights

(Source: National Center for Homeless Education)

 

What YOU should know!

Your child has a right to go to school, no matter where you live or how long you have lived there.

You are not required to provide a permanent address in order to enroll your child in school.  Schools cannot require proof of residency that might prevent or delay school enrollment.

Education is a Doorway to a Better Future for Your Child!
    
Lack of school records cannot prevent a homeless student from enrolling in the new school.  Ask the school officials for help in getting your child's records from the last school your child attended.

If you are homeless, your child has the right to stay in the school he/she last attended or move to the school in the district/attendance zone where you are currently living.

According to the McKinney-Vento Act of 2001, you are  considered homeless if you lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, which includes:

• living in a shelter or motel
• living in a vehicle
• living in a campground
• living on the street
• living in abandoned buildings, trailers, or similar settings
• doubled-up with relatives or friends
  
  
  

• U.S. Code, Title 7, Subtitle B, McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
• U.S. Code, Title 42, Chapter 119, Subchapter 4, Part B, Education for Homeless Children and Youth

Other resource information:

• National Center for Homeless Education
• National Coalition for the Homeless
• National Law Center on Homeless and Poverty