Children who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nightime residence, including:

• Living in emergency or transitional shelters
• Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason
• Living in hotels/motels, RV parks, camping grounds due to lack of adequate alternative accommodations
• Living in transitional housing as part of a program with a time limit & continual case management while transitioning into stable housring-DOES NOT include HUD
• Living in substandard housing with no windows/doors, running water, heat , electricity or gas
• Living in a public or private place not designed for humans to live; such as tents, cars, parks, bus/train stations or abandoned buildings
• Unaccompanied minors living without a parent or legal guardian
• Undocumented children and youth who have the same right to attend a public school as U.S. citizens and are covered by the McKenney-Vento Act

Homeless students may attend one of two schools:

• School of Origin: School the child/youth attended when permanently housed or school in which the child/youth last enrolled-DOES apply to feeder patterns
• Local Attendance Area School: Any public school that non-homeless students living in the attendance area in which the child/youth is actually living are eligible to attend
• Best Interest: In determining the best interest, the local education agency shall to the extent feasible, keep a homeless child or youth in the school of origin, except when doing so is contrary to the wishes of the child’s or youth’s parent or guardian.

Texas law allows homeless studnets to enroll in the DISTRICT of their choice if they meet the definition of homeless.

School Enrollment:

• Homeless children have te right to enroll immediately, even if they do not have required documents.If a student does not have immunizations OR immunization/medical records, the liaison must assist with obtaining them and the student must be enrolled in the interim. They have 30 days to supply records from the previous school.
• Enrolling schools obtain school records from the previous school.
• Children and youth who are homeless must be enrolled immediately in any school open to other children living in the same neighborhood.
• Immediate enrollment includes attending classes and participating fully in all school activities.
• Texas law agrees that enrollment of homeless students is not dependent on the residency of the parent or guardian. Tx Ed Code 25.001 (b)(5)
• Immediate enrollment in school applies even if no parent or guardian is present.
  • Texas law allows youth to enroll in school on their own, as long as they are not in the district primarily to participate in extracurricular activities and not expelled/no current delinquent/criminal conduct. Tx Ed Code 25.001 (b)(4), (d)
• Students in homeless situations should NOT be required to fill out “dual residency” forms, have any time of residency documents notarized (i.e., letters from the host family they are staying with), or provide any proof of residency.

Unaccompanied youth must be allowed to enroll in the School of Origin or their attendance zone school even if they do not have a parent or guardian present and do not have the required documentation. They must be allowed to enroll if they report they are “couch surfing” or living with a friend or family member. The adult they are living with DOES NOT have to be present in order to enroll the child.