The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act can provide school stability for eligible homeless or unaccompanied youths.  The Wattsburg Area School District is committed to educating and supporting such students as outlined in federal and state laws, regulations, and Board policy.   Please review the following information and resources available to assist students experiencing educational instability.  For more information, please contact the District Homeless Liaison as listed on this page.

1. means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence (within the meaning of section 103(a)(1)); and
2. includes–

1. children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals;
2. children and youths 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 (within the meaning of section 103(a)(2)(C));
3. children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
4. migratory children (as such term is defined in section 1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described in clauses (i) through (iii).

• The McKinney-Vento Act defines unaccompanied youth as, “a homeless child or youth not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian” [42 USC § 11434a(6)].
• This includes youth who have run away from home, been thrown out of their home, been abandoned by parents or guardians, or separated from their parents for any other reason.

• Receive a free, appropriate public education
• Enroll in school immediately, even if lacking documents normally required for enrollment
• Enroll in school and attend classes while the school gathers needed documents
• Enroll in the local school; or continue attending their school of origin (the school they attended when permanently housed or the school in which they were last enrolled), if that is their preference*
• Receive transportation to and from the school of origin, if requested
• Receive educational services comparable to those provided to other students, according to the students’ needs