Code No. 508.5
HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Purpose: To provide education and support for homeless children and youth.
Policy: The board will make reasonable efforts to identify homeless children and youth of school age
within the district, encourage their enrollment and eliminate existing barriers to their receiving an
education which may exist in district policies or practices. The designated coordinator for identification
of homeless children and for tracking and monitoring programs and activities for these children is the
Strawberry Hill Elementary Principal.
“Homeless children and youth” means individuals from age three through age 21 who lack a
fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including children and youth who are:
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;
abandoned in hospitals;
awaiting foster care placement;
living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or
train stations, or similar settings;
children and youth who 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;
migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are living in circumstances
described in this definition.
Incarcerated children and youth and children and youth in foster care are not considered
homeless.
The elementary principal shall serve as the District’s liaison for homeless children and youth.
The liaison shall ensure that:
homeless children and youth are identified by school personnel and through coordination
activities with other entities and agencies;
homeless children and youth enroll in school and have a full and equal opportunity to
succeed in school;
homeless children and youth receive educational services for which they are eligible,
including Head Start and preschool programs administered by the District, and referrals
to health, mental health, dental, and other appropriate services;
parents/guardians of homeless children and youth are informed of available educational
and related opportunities provided to their children and of the opportunities for the
parents/guardians to participate in the education of their children;
the District disseminates public notices in places in which homeless children and youth
receive services of their educational rights;
the District informs parents/guardians, and unaccompanied youth of transportation
services, including to and from the school of origin, and provides assistance in accessing
the transportation to school;
enrollment disputes are properly mediated.
The liaison shall also assist parents/guardians, and unaccompanied youth in enrolling in school
and accessing school services, obtaining student records, arranging for immunizations, and shall
help to coordinate transportation services.
Immunization Records. A homeless child or youth will not be denied enrollment for lack of
immunization records if the child is transferring from another school and the school confirms the
presence of the immunization record. The District liaison will make a reasonable effort to locate
immunization records from the information provided or will arrange for the student to receive
immunizations.
Student Records. Homeless children and youth transferring into the District may provide student
records directly to the District. The District will not require that the records be forwarded from
another district or school before the child may enroll. The District will then request the student’s
records from the previous district or school attended by the student. Homeless children and
youth transferring out of the District may be provided directly copies of student records to take
with them.
Waiver of School Fees. School fees shall be waived in accordance with the District’s policy on
waiver of fees or if necessary for the homeless child or youth to obtain equal access to a free
public education. The District liaison shall also assist students in accessing resources for
appropriate school clothing.
Free and Reduced-Price Meals. The application process for free and reduced price meals shall
be expedited for homeless children and youth. The District may determine if a student is
homeless and requires free meals without completing the full application process.
Approved 5/2/05
Reviewed 7/7/08
Revised 9/21/15
Reviewed 6/19/17