Student Services

The McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth Assistance Act is a federal law that ensures immediate enrollment and educational stability for homeless children and youth.

If your family lives

• in a shelter
• in a motel or campground due to the lack of an alternative adequate accommodation
• in a car, park, abandoned building, or bus or train station
• doubled-up with other people due to loss of housing or economic hardship your child might be able to receive help through a federal law called the McKinney-Vento Act.

Your McKinney-Vento eligible children have the right to

• receive a free, appropriate public education.
• enroll in school immediately, even if lacking documents
• normally required for enrollment.
• enroll in school and attend classes while the school gathers needed documents.
• enroll in the local school; or continue attending the school of origin (the school they attended when permanently housed or the school in which they were last enrolled), if that school is determined to be in your child's educational best interest.
• receive transportation to and from the school of origin, if you request this.
• receive educational services comparable to those provided to other students, according to your children's needs.

McKinney Vento Parent Information

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a federal law that, among other things, outlines the enrollment and educational stability rights for children and youth in foster care.

• A child in foster care remains in his or her school of origin unless it is determined that remaining in the school of origin is not in that child's best interest.
• If it is not in the child's best interest to stay in his or her school of origin, the child is immediately enrolled in the new school even if the child is unable to produce records normally required for enrollment.
• That the new enrolling school immediately contacts the school of origin to obtain relevant academic or other records.

Please contact our Director of Student Services, Vince Estrada, if you have any questions about services to support the educational stability and rights of students in foster care. He can be reached at 314-565-7441 OR vince.estrada@mrhschools.net