Cucamonga School District

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act for Homeless Children and Youth entitles all homeless school-aged children to the same free and appropriate public education that is provided to non-homeless students. Every school district must appoint a liaison to assist these students.

A homeless student is defined as a person between the ages of birth (Early Head Start and Head Start Programs) and twenty-two (special education students) who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and may temporarily:

• Live in an emergency or transitional shelter; abandoned building, parked car, or other facility not designed as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
• Live “doubled-up” with another family, due to loss of housing stemming from financial problems (e.g., loss of job, eviction or natural disaster);
• Live in a hotel or motel;
• Live in a trailer park or campsite with their family;
• Have been abandoned at a hospital;
• Be awaiting foster placement in limited circumstances;
• Reside in a home for school-aged, unwed mothers or mothers-to-be if there are no other available living accommodations; or
• Be abandoned, runaway, or pushed out youth or migrant youth that qualifies as homeless because he/she is living in circumstances described above.

A homeless student has the right to attend either the school of origin, defined as the school that the student was last enrolled in or attended when last housed or any school attended in the past fifteen (15) months, or the current school of residence. If a dispute arises over school selection or enrollment, the parent/guardian has the right to dispute the school’s decision by contacting the district’s homeless liaison at (909) 987-8942 and following the district’s dispute resolution policy.

The law requires the immediate enrollment of homeless students, which is defined as “attending class and participating fully in school activities”. Schools cannot delay or prevent the enrollment of a student due to the lack of school or immunization records or other documentation usually required for enrollment.  It is the responsibility of the district homeless liaison to refer parents to all programs and services for which the student is eligible. Referrals may include, but is not limited to: free nutrition, special education services, tutoring, English Language Learners programs, Gifted and Talented Education program, preschool, before and after school services or any other program offered by the school or district. The district shall ensure that transportation is provided, at the request of the parent/guardian/unaccompanied homeless youth, to and from the school of origin, if feasible.

Unaccompanied youth; such as teen parents not living with their parent or guardian or students that have runaway or have been pushed out of their homes, have access to these same rights.

You can enroll in school even if:

• Uncertain housing
• A temporary address
• No permanent physical address

You are guaranteed enrollment in school by the federal McKinney-Vento Act and California state law if you live:

• In a house or apartment with more than one family due to loss of housing or economic hardship
• With friends or family because you are a runaway or an unaccompanied youth
• In substandard housing (without electricity, water, or heat)
• In a shelter (family, domestic violence, or youth shelter or transitional living program)
• In a motel, hotel, or weekly rate housing
• In an abandoned building, in a car, at a campground, or on the streets

You can enroll in school immediately even without the documents normally required for enrollment, such as:

• Proof of residency
• Immunization records or other required health records
• School records
• Legal guardianship papers

Your child may:

• Participate fully in all school activities and programs for which he/she is eligible.
• Receive transportation to and from the school of origin if you request it.
• Continue to attend the school in which he/she was last enrolled even if you have moved away from that school’s attendance area.
• Qualify automatically for school nutrition programs.

Your responsibilities are to:

• Make sure your child gets to school on time and ready to learn.
• Stay informed of school rules, regulations, and activities.
• Contact the homeless liaison for assistance in removing barriers to your child’s education.
• Attend parent/teacher conferences, Back-to-School Nights, and other school-related activities.

If your housing situation has changed, you can update the status via the Housing Questionnaire located in the Aeries Parent Portal.

It is not a crime to live in one of the mentioned situations and schools are here to assist you and your children with enrollment and appropriate services. This information will not be shared outside of the educational entity.