Homeless and Foster Care Information
Homeless Education Program
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is the primary piece of federal legistation dealing with the eduation of children and youth experiencing homelessness. Homelessness is legally defined as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This may include:
Living with friends, relatives, or someone else because they lost their home or cannot afford a home;
Staying in a hotel or motel;
Living in an emergency or transitional shelter, a domestic violence shelter, runaway, or homelss shelter;
Living in substandard housing;
Living in a car, park, public place, abandoned building, bus or train station, campground, or inadequate trailer;
Awaiting placement in foster care of abandoned in a hospital; or
Youth living on their own, even if their families want them to come home.
What do families need to know?
Children and youth exeriencing homelssness have a right to attend school.
You do not need a permanent address to enroll your child in school.
Children and youth experiencing homelessness can stay in their school of origin or enroll in any public school that students living in the same attendance zone are eligible to attend, wichever circumstance proves to be in the student's best interest.
The Liaison must provide you with a written explanation if a placement or eligibility dispute occurs. Contact your local Homeless Liaison for assistance in handling a dispute.
Your child cannot be denied school enrollment because school records or other enrollment documentation are not immediately available.
Your child may have the right to transportation services to and from the school of origin if determined in their best interest* (see transportaiton procedures).
Your child has the right to participate in extracurricular activities and all federal, state, or local programs for which he/she is elegible.
Unaccompanied youth have these same rights. (Contact your local Homeless Liaison.)
McKinney-Vento status provides stability at the school for the duration of the school year. If housing instability continues beyond that school year, you must apply for requalification the following school year.
More information available from Project Hope Virginia at https://projecthopevirginia.org/
Legal Reference: The McKinney-Vento Assistance Act (42 U.S. C. 11431 et seq.) at Subtitle B of title VII. (Reauthorized 2002).
Free/Reduced Lunch
Homeless students are entitled to free breakfast and lunch at school and DO NOT need to fill out the Free and Reduced Meals application. Once the parent (or unaccompanied youth) is identified as homeless under McKinney-Vento, the Liaison will submit documenation to the director of food service to ensure students receive free meals.
Transportation
HCPS will provide transportation assistance for students approved as McKinney-Vento-eligible so that the student may remain in Highland County Public Schools. This transportation is arranged through the McKinney-Vento liaison's office. It may take three to five working days for transportation arrangements to be processed. Once transportation is arranged, the parent/guardian is called and avised of the start date and time of the transportation.
Information and Resources
HCPS Homeless Data
2019-2020: 0
2020-2021: 0
2021-2022: 0
2022-2023: 0
2023-2024: 0
Additional Information
Foster Care Liaison
The Foster Care Liaison assists students, families, and area social services departments with the "best interest determination" process and other situations unique to students in the foster care system.
Your Guide to Foster Care Resources in Virginia
HCPS Homeless (McKinney-Vento) and Foster Care Liaison
Dr. Drew Maerz
(540) 468-6300