New students to Pinellas County
Schools will be assigned to a close-to-home school on a space-available
basis. A close-to-home school is the school that has been designated for
each student based on such factors as proximity, program capacity and
feeder patterns from one school level to another. To register for school
simply follow the steps below.
NOTE: Only those students entering kindergarten, sixth- or
ninth-grades will be assigned to their close-to-home school. All other
students will be guaranteed a close-to-home school on a space-available
basis.
STEP 1
Visit any school to get a User I.D. and password. Bring a state-issued
photo I.D. with you. Bring proof of address (i.e. utility bill for
power, water or cable, rental agreement or lease) to verify address
entered into the computer.
STEP 2
Use the Student Reservation System computer at the school or on your
home computer (go to
http://www.pcsb.org ) to reserve a seat at a school.
NOTE: Only those students entering kindergarten, sixth- or ninth-grades
will be assigned to their close-to-home school. All other students will
be guaranteed a close-to-home school on a space-available basis.
STEP 3
Visit the assigned school to deliver the required documents.
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 HEAT member or at the
school. District staff must write the caregiver's driver's license or
identification number on the form.
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 Imani Spotwood 638-3274, Suzanne
Hennessey
588-6434 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
follow the district registration process.
HOW ARE HOMELESS STUDENTS TRANSPORTED
TO AND FROM SCHOOL?
Here are the changes in requesting transportation for
homeless students this year.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
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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
HEAT member. The HEAT 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.
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 HEAT 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 HEAT
members are somewhere other than the child’s assigned school. Once the HEAT 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.
HOW ARE THE MEAL APPLICATIONS HANDLED
FOR HOMELESS STUDENTS?
These are the procedures for the free/reduced meals as
stated in the Manager’s Procedure Manual.
-
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.
-
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.
-
More than one student
may be listed on a shelter letter/memo.
-
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.
-
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.
-
If a homeless student
submits an application, the manager will note the name of the
shelter on the application.
-
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.
HOW DO I REFER A HOMELESS STUDENT TO
HEAT?
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.