Homeless Children & Youth Education Program (JBCBB)

SMP carries out federally mandated policies to ensure that homeless children and youth have access to a free, appropriate public education. Board policies and district practices should not act as barriers to the enrollment, attendance, or success of homeless students who lack a regular, fixed, adequate nighttime residence.

THE MCKINNEY-VENTO ACT

The McKinney-Vento Act protects the educational rights of children and youth living in shelters, including domestic violence shelters, hotels, motels, or weekly-rate apartments. The act also protects the educational rights of Children living in conditions not fit for human habitation (i.e., no electricity, no heat, no running water, no windows or doors, holes in the roof or floor, no way to cook or store food.) Abandoned, runaway, throwaway children and youth (unaccompanied Youth) are protected as well. They have the right to remain enrolled despite changes in residence, to obtain immediate access to school enrollment without proof of residency, immunization, or school records. Parents will have 5 school days to submit enrollment documentation (i.e., physical address, academic records from last school attended, immunization records and birth certificate). Students are provided with transportation to and from school. They shall also be enrolled in pre-school programs.