Who is covered by the McKinney-Vento Act?

Children and youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including those:

• Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason
• Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, and 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 a public or private place not designed for sleeping
• Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, bus or train stations, etc.

Homeless students have certain protections:

• They can choose to remain in their current school even if they have moved to a different district
• They can immediately enroll in school without the paperwork normally required for enrollment
• They are eligible for transportation to the school they designate
• They automatically qualify for free breakfast and lunch and do not have to complete the application, but need to see the homeless liaison.