McKinney-Vento/Homeless

Resources for Students and Families in Transition

Misty McBrierty Director of Curriculum and Instruction/Farmington McKinney-Vento Liaison
603-755-8224

The McKinney-Vento Act

If you lost your housing and now live in a shelter, motel, vehicle, camping ground, or temporary trailer; on the street; doubled-up with family or friends; or in another type of temporary or inadequate housing, your child might be able to receive assistance through a federal law called the McKinney-Vento Act.

Under the McKinney-Vento Act, children in transitional housing situations have the right to:

  • Go to school, no matter where they live or how long they have lived there.
  • Attend either the local school or the school of origin, if this in their best interest; the school of origin is the school the child attended when he/she was permanently housed or the school in which the child was last enrolled.
  • Receive transportation to and from the school of origin.
  • Enroll is school immediately, even if missing records and documents normally required for enrollment, such as a birth certificate, proof of residence, previous school records, or immunization/medical records.
  • Enroll, attend classes, and participate fully in all school activities while the school gathers records.
  • Have access to the same programs and services that are available to all other students, including transportation and supplemental educational services.
  • Attend school with children not experiencing homelessness; a school can not segregate a student because he or she is homeless."

National Center for Homeless Education. n.d. What You Need to Know to Help Your Child in School: A Guide for Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers [Brochure]. United States of America: Department of Education.

Homeless Resources

Supports are available under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act

If you and your family live in any of the following situations you may qualify for assistance:

  • In a shelter, motel room, vehicle or campground
  • Double up with friends or relatives because you cannot find or afford housing
  • On the street
  • In an abandoned building, trailer, or other inadequate accommodations

A child or youth living in a homeless situation has a right to:

Go to school, no matter where you live or how long you have lived there. You must be given access to the same public education provided to other students.

Continue in the school you attended before you became homeless or the school you last attended, to the extent feasible and as determined to be in the best interest of the child. The school district's local liaison for homeless education must assist you, if needed, and offer you the right to appeal a decision regarding your choice of school if it goes against your wishes.

Receive transportation to the school you attended before you became homeless or the school you last attended, if you request such transportation, to the extent feasible and as determined to be in the best interest of the child.

Attend a school and participate in school programs with students who are not homeless. Students cannot be separated from the regular school program because they are homeless.

Enroll in school without giving a permanent address. Schools cannot require proof of residency that might prevent or delay school enrollment.

Enroll and attend classes while the school arranges for the transfer of school immunization records or other documents required for enrollment.

Receive the same special programs and services, if needed, as provided to all other students served in these programs.

Receive transportation to school and to school programs.

When you move, you should do the following:

Contact the school district's local homeless/transition education liaison for help in enrolling in a new school or arranging to continue in your former school.

Homeless Education Liaisons for the Farmington School District
District Liaison - Use this contact to dispute a determination regarding placement or education of a homeless student
Misty McBrierty - mmcbrierty@sau61.org or 603-755-2627

Valley View Community School (Gds. PK-3)
Blake McGurty - bmcgurty@sau61.org or 603-755-4757

Henry Wilson Memorial School (Gds. 4-8)
Donna Ellis - dellis@sau61.org or 603-755-2181
Farmington High School (Gds. 9-12)
K Sauer ksauer@sau61.org or 603-755-2811

Tell your teachers anything that you think they need to know to help you in school. Ask the local homeless liaison, the shelter provider, or a social worker for assistance with clothing and supplies, if needed.