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Senate Bill 446 approved during the 2001 legislative session expanded the definition of a homeless child for local school districts and gave these children a 30 day grace period for submitting proof of age, certification of a health examination and proof of immunization for school registration. The McKinney-Vento Act as reauthorized in 2002 requires school districts to immediately register homeless children for school regardless of whether they have required documents and transport children to their school of origin. Details are provided below.
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WHEN IS A STUDENT CONSIDERED HOMELESS? |
Under the federal McKinney-Vento Act reauthorized in 2002, a family is considered in transition (or homeless) if they and/or their children:
*Live temporarily in a hotel or motel and lack a permanent address due to limited finances;
*Live doubled up with friends or relatives due to limited finances;
*Have a child who lives with friends or relatives apart from parents due to limited finances;
*Live in a homeless, runaway, or domestic violence shelter;
*Live in a campground, car, abandoned building, or space not ordinarily used to house human beings.
The definition does not include any person imprisoned, detained, or in the custody of the state.
*Schools must code students as homeless and unaccompanied if appropriate in SASI using primary night time residence codes. Data prep clerks have been trained how to do this. |
HOW ARE HOMELESS STUDENTS REGISTERED FOR SCHOOL WITH THE NEW CHOICE PROGRAM? |
Parents of homeless students may call the reservation line at (727) 587-2020 to get a school assignment. They may also visit one of the Family Education and Information Centers (FEIC):
PTEC-St. Petersburg
3420 8th Ave S
St. Petersburg, FL 33711
(727)552-1595
Robinson Challenge
1101 Marshall St
Clearwater, FL 33755
(727)298-2858
After receiving a school assignment, parents must go to the assigned school to complete the registration process.
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HOW ARE HOMELESS UNACCOMPANIED YOUTH REGISTERED FOR SCHOOL? |
A homeless unaccompanied child or youth is a minor (under age 18) who is not residing with their parent or guardian. In these circumstances, an adult (someone 18 years old or older) may register a child or youth for school by completing the caregiver's authorization form. This form does not establish legal guardianship of the child or youth; it only authorizes enrollment.
A caregiver may complete this form with a H.E.A.T. member or at one of the FEICs or at the school. District staff must write the caregiver's driver's license or identification number on the form. |
WHAT DOCUMENTS ARE NEEDED TO ENROLL HOMELESS STUDENTS? |
Homeless students do not need any documents initially to register for school as per the McKinney-Vento Act. However, Florida law requires homeless students to have the following documents within 30 days:
1. proof of date of birth
2. immunization record
3. physical exam completed within 12 months of registration |
HOW IS IT DETERMINED WHICH SCHOOLS HOMELESS STUDENTS SHOULD BE ENROLLED IN? |
According to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, homeless students may continue attending their current school even if they are staying out of their attendance area. They may be provided transportation as well. All schools are subject to this including magnet schools. If a student is still homeless the next school year, he or she can attend the school the parent either chose for them or was assigned to them even if the student is staying out of their attendance area. For students residing in shelters that are attending a school outside of their attendance area, please contact Duane Kinnison 638-3274 or Janet Walker 638-3229 to help with school placement.
The goal is to keep the number of transfers to a minimum for homeless students to help keep their education less disjointed.
If a student obtains permanent housing the same school year he or she is homeless, he or she may continue at their same school even if they are staying out of their attendance area. However, if a student is still in permanent housing during the next school year, then the parent must go to one of the FEIC centers to be assigned a school.
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HOW ARE HOMELESS STUDENTS TRANSPORTED TO AND FROM SCHOOL? |
Here are the changes in requesting transportation for homeless students this year.
1. Schools now do the request for all homeless students including those in shelters and transitional housing facilities. Shelter staff or parents will be contacting schools to request transportation.
2. It is no longer necessary to use the Homeless or Foster Care Verification for Student Transportation to School of Origin” form (PCS Form 2-2982) to request transportation. Please use Unicenter to request transportation for homeless students. Please indicate on the request that the student is homeless.
3. For students staying at domestic violence shelters (CASA and the Haven), obtaining an address of the shelter is not necessary. Please indicate on the request that the student is staying at either CASA or the Haven. Transportation knows where to assign these students a bus stop.
4. Homeless students staying outside of their attendance area are able to continue at the last school they attended (the school of origin). If transportation determines it is not feasible to transport a student to their school of origin, school personnel contact a H.E.A.T. member. The H.E.A.T. member then notifies the parent in writing and gives them information about the appeal process. The parent may then either contact the FEIC center for school assignment or they may appeal the decision. The student remains in the school of origin while the appeal is in process.
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WHAT ABOUT STUDENTS STAYING AT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS? |
When a child is staying at a domestic violence shelter (CASA or the Haven), please be aware that the locations of these shelters are confidential. The shelter will usually provide a post office box number for the address.
Please remember the families at these shelters are trying to avoid violence, and the shelters encourage the families to file for injunctions against the perpetrator. When a family does have an injunction and gives a copy of it to the school, please have all relevant staff be aware of it (e.g. principal, child's teacher(s), data prep clerks, etc.). The injunction is for protection of the child and the family and needs to be adhered to.
In domestic violence situations, the appropriate H.E.A.T. members may do the request for records from the child's previous school if the parent is concerned about the abuser finding them. The offices of the H.E.A.T. members are somewhere other than the child’s assigned school. Once the H.E.A.T. member receives the records, this person will then transfer them to the assigned school. This is to help prevent the abuser from finding the family.
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HOW ARE THE FREE/REDUCED MEAL APPLICATIONS HANDLED FOR HOMELESS STUDENTS? |
These are the procedures for the free/reduced meals as stated in the Manager’s Procedure Manual.
1. Homeless students are eligible to apply for meal benefits by:
-Submitting an application for an individual homeless child
-Submitting a family application for all children in the household
-Being listed on an official letter/memo provided from the shelter
-Being listed on an official letter/memo provided by an educational liaison
in the Dropout Prevention Office.
2. Should the manager receive the shelter letter, they will make note of the shelter name on Green Bar or WinSNAP roster and forward the letter to the Central Office.
3. More than one student may be listed on a shelter letter/memo.
4. The Food Service Office will fill out an application for each student and attach the signed letter/memo to each application. Managers are not to complete applications for homeless students.
5. The parent, shelter director, head of host household, and/or the educational liaison are the ONLY persons permitted to sign a homeless student's applications or letter/memo.
6. If a homeless student submits an application, the manager will note the name of the shelter on the application.
7. Homeless students are to receive free meal benefits immediately upon enrollment in the school. Managers will claim the student as "Generic Free" until processing is complete. Managers will document the student's name with the "Generic Free" entry in their daily paperwork.
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HOW DO I REFER A HOMLEESS STUDENT TO H.E.A.T.? |
Ms. Hennessey, Mrs. Walker, and Mr. Kinnison are all available to assist with school related issues and accessing community resources such as shelter, housing, food, etc.
If you are with a Pinellas County School and are interested in learning more about our services, please contact Ms. Hennessey to schedule a presentation at your school. She can be reached by phone at (727) 588-6434 or contacted by email (hennesseys@pcsb.org).
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