McKinney-Vento Homeless Education

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (McKinney-Vento Act) ensures students who are homeless have equal access to the same free and appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as provided to other children and youths.  It has most recently been reauthorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA). 

The McKinney-Vento Act mandates a state coordinator in every state, a homeless education liaison in every school district, outlines the rights of students who are homeless, defines homelessness, and requires collaboration and coordination across agencies and service providers.  The homeless education liaison for Acton-Boxborough Regional School District is the Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).  

Students who are homeless are defined as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including:

Children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals.

Children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings. Children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings;

and Migratory children (as defined in section 1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended) who qualify as homeless because they are living in circumstances described above. Students who are homeless have the right to remain enrolled in their school of origin and receive transportation or immediately enroll in the school district where they are temporarily residing. 

If questions or concerns arise, the ABRSD educational team should review the Considerations Checklist for Students in Transition with the resident district homeless liaison to ensure that remaining in the school of origin is in the student's best interest.