Policy 6173 - Education for Homeless Children

Rule 6173

Approved: 11/19/2002

Revised: 12/06/2016

Homeless means students who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence and includes:

1. Students who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals
2. Students who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodations for human beings
3. Students who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings
4. Migratory students who qualify as homeless because the students are living in conditions described in 1 - 3 above
5. Unaccompanied youth who are not in the physical custody of a parent or Guardian

School of origin means the school that the student attended when permanently housed or the school in which the student was last enrolled. If the school the homeless student attended when permanently housed is different from the school in which he/she was last enrolled, or if there is some other school that he/she attended within the preceding 15 months and with which he/she is connected, the district liaison shall determine, in consultation with and with the agreement of the homeless student and the person holding the right to make educational decisions for the student, and in the best interests of the homeless student, which school shall be deemed the school of origin.

Best interest means that, in making educational and school placement decisions for a homeless student, considerations given to, among other factors, educational stability, the opportunity to be educated in the least restrictive educational setting necessary to achieve academic progress, and the student’s access to academic resources, services, and extra-curricular and enrichment activities that are available to all district students.

District Liaison

The Superintendent or designee designates the following position as the district liaison for homeless students:

The district’s liaison for homeless students shall ensure that:

1. Homeless students are identified by school personnel and through coordinated activities with other entities and agencies
2. Homeless students enroll in, and have a full and equal opportunity to succeed in, district schools
3. Homeless families and students receive educational services for which they are eligible
4. Parents/guardians are informed of the educational and related opportunities available to their children and are provided with meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children
5. Notice of the educational rights of homeless students is disseminated at places where children receive services, such as schools, family shelters and hunger relief agencies (soup kitchens)
6. Enrollment disputes are mediated in accordance with law, Board of Education policy and rule
7. Parents/guardians are fully informed of all transportation services.
8. When notified pursuant to Education Code 48918.1, assist, facilitate, or represent a homeless student who is undergoing a disciplinary proceeding that could result in his/her expulsion
9. When notified pursuant to Education Code 48915.5, participate in an individualized education program team meeting to make a manifestation determination regarding the behavior of a student with a disability
10.  Assist a homeless student to obtain records necessary for his/her enrollment into or transfer out of district schools, including immunization, medical, and academic records

Enrollment

Placement decisions for homeless students shall be based on the student’s best interest.

When making a placement decision for a homeless student, the Superintendent, or designee may consider the age of the student, the distance of the commute and the impact it may have on the student’s education, personal safety issues, the student’s need for special instruction, the length of anticipated stay in the temporary shelter or other temporary location, likely area of future housing, school placement of siblings, and the time remaining in the school year.

However, placement decisions shall not be based on whether a homeless student lives with his/her homeless parent/guardian or has been temporarily placed elsewhere.

In determining a student’s best interest, a homeless student shall, to the extent feasible, be placed in his/her school of origin, unless his/her parent/guardian requests otherwise.

The student may continue attending the school of origin for the duration of the homelessness and until the end of any academic year in which the student moves into permanent housing.

If the student is placed at a school other than the school of origin or a school requested by the parent/guardian, the Superintendent or designee shall provide the parent/guardian with a written explanation of the decision along with a statement regarding the parent/guardian’s right to appeal the placement decision.

In the case of an unaccompanied youth, the liaison shall assist in placement or enrollment decisions, consider the views of the student, and provide notice to the student of his/her appeal rights.

Once a placement decision has been made, the principal or designee shall immediately enroll the student in the school of choice. The student shall be enrolled even if he/she:

1. Has outstanding fees, fines, textbooks, or other items or monies due to the school last attended
2. Does not have clothing normally required by the school, such as school uniforms
3. Is unable to produce records normally required for enrollment, such as previous academic records, proof of residency, and medical records, including, but not limited to, records or other proof of immunization history.

The principal or designee shall immediately contact the school last attended by the student to obtain the relevant records. If the student needs to obtain immunizations or does not possess immunization or other medical records, the principal or designee shall refer the parent/guardian to the district homeless student liaison. The district liaison shall assist the parent/guardian, or the student if he/she is an unaccompanied youth, in obtaining the necessary immunizations or records for the student.

To ensure that the homeless student has the benefit of matriculating with his/her peers in accordance with the established feeder patterns, the following shall apply:

1. If the student is transitioning between grade levels, he/she shall be allowed to continue in the same attendance area.
2. If the student is transitioning to a middle school or high school, , and the school designated for matriculation is in another school district, he/she shall be allowed to continue to the school designated for matriculation in that district.

If the student’s status changes before the end of the school year so that he/she is no longer homeless, she/she shall be allowed to stay in the school of origin:

1. Through the duration of the school year if he/she is in grades PreK-8
2. Through graduation if he/she is in high school

Resolving Enrollment Disputes

If a dispute arises over school selection or enrollment in a particular school, the student shall be immediately admitted, pending resolution of the dispute, to the school in which enrollment is sought.

The parent/guardian shall be provided with a written explanation of the placement decision, including an explanation of the parent/guardian’s right to appeal the decision. He/she shall also be referred to the district liaison. The written explanation shall include:

1. The district liaison’s contact information
2. A description of the district’s placement decision 
3. Notice of the student’s right to enroll in the school of choice pending resolution of the dispute, including the right to fully participate in all school activities
4. Notice of the parent/guardian’s right to appeal the decision to the county office of education and, if the dispute remains unresolved, to the California Department of Education

The district liaison shall carry out the dispute resolution process provided by the state as expeditiously as possible after receiving notice of the dispute.

If the parent/guardian chooses to appeal the district’s placement decision, the district liaison shall forward all written documentation and related paperwork to the homeless liaison at the county office of education.

In working with a student’s parents/guardians to resolve an enrollment dispute, the district liaison shall:

1. Inform them that they may provide written and/or oral documentation to support their position
2. Inform them that they may seek assistance of social services, advocates, and/or service providers in having the dispute resolved
3. Provide them a simple form that they may use and turn in to the school to initiate the dispute resolution process
4. Provide them a copy of the dispute from they submit for their records
5. Provide them the outcome of the dispute for their records

If a parent/guardian disagrees with the liaison’s enrollment decision, he/she may appeal the decision to the Superintendent. The Superintendent shall make a determination within five working days.

Transportation

The district shall provide transportation for a homeless student to and from his/her school of origin when the student is residing within the district and the parent/guardian (or at the liaison’s request for unaccompanied youth) requests that such transportation be provided. If the student moves outside of district boundaries, but continues to attend his/her school of origin within this district, the Superintendent or designee shall consult with the superintendent of the district in which the student is now residing to agree upon a method to apportion the responsibility and cost of the transportation.

The district will continue to provide transportation to the students who continue attending their school of origin after they cease to be homeless until the end of that school year, at the parent’s/guardian’s request (or at the liaison’s request for unaccompanied youth). The district shall continue to provide transportation to the students who cease to be homeless when the student has an individualized education program that includes transportation as a necessary related service for the student.

Transfer of Coursework and Credits

When a homeless student transfers into a district school, the district shall accept and issue full credit for any coursework that the student has satisfactorily completed while attending another public school, a juvenile court school, or a nonpublic, nonsectarian school or agency and shall not require the student to retake the course.

If the homeless student did not complete the entire course, he/she shall be issued partial credit for the coursework completed and shall be required to take the portion of the course that he/she did not complete at his/her previous school. However, the district may require the student to retake the portion of the course completed if, in consultation with the holder of educational rights for the student, the district finds that the student is reasonably able to complete the requirements in time to graduate from high school. Whenever partial credit is issued to a homeless student in any particular course, he/she shall be enrolled in the same or equivalent course, if applicable, so that he/she may continue and complete the entire course.

Partial credits shall be awarded on the basis of 0.5 credits for every seven class periods attended per subject. If the school is on a block schedule, each block schedule class period attended shall be equal to two regular class periods per subject. Partial credits and grades earned by a student shall be included on the student’s official transcript within two business days of the district’s notification of the students’ transfer, as required under Education Code 49069.5.

In no event shall the district prevent a homeless student from taking or retaking a course to meet the eligibility requirements for admission to the California State University or the University of California.

Applicability of Graduation Requirements

To obtain a high school diploma, a homeless student shall complete all courses required by Education Code 51225.3 and fulfill any additional graduation requirements prescribed by the Board.

The Superintendent or designee shall notify any homeless student who is granted an exemption and the person holding the right to make educational decisions for him/her how any requirements that are waived will affect the student’s ability to gain admission to a postsecondary educational institution and shall provide information about transfer opportunities available through the California Community Colleges.

The district shall not require or request a homeless student to transfer schools in order to qualify for an exemption and no request for a transfer solely to qualify for an exemption shall be made by a homeless student, the person holding the right to make educational decisions for the student, or the district liaison on behalf of the student.

If a homeless student is exempted from local graduation requirements, the exemption shall continue to apply after the student is no longer homeless or if he/she transfers to another school or school district.

If the Superintendent or designee determines that a homeless student is reasonably able to complete district graduation requirements within his/her fifth year of high school, he/she shall:

1. Inform the student and, if under 18 years of age, the person holding the right to make educational decisions for him/her, of the option available to the student to remain in school for a fifth year to complete the district’s graduation requirements and how that will affect his/her ability to gain admission to a postsecondary educational institution
2. Provide information to the homeless student about transfer opportunities available through the California Community Colleges
3. Upon agreement with the homeless student or with the person holding the right to make educational decisions for him/her if he/she is under 18 year of age, permit the student to stay in school for a fifth year to complete the district’s graduation requirements

Eligibility for Extracurricular Activities

A homeless student who enrolls in any district school shall be immediately deemed to meet all residency requirements for participation in interscholastic sports or other extracurricular activities.

 Notification and Complaints

Any complaint that the district has not complied with requirements regarding the education of homeless students, as specified in Education Code 51225.2, may be filed in accordance with the district’s procedures in Rule 1312.3 – Uniform Complaint Procedures.