Homeless Education (McKinney-Vento Act)
Who Are Children and Youths Experiencing Homelessness?
Children and youths experiencing homelessness are individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including:
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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;
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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;
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Children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
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Migratory children who qualify as homeless because the children are living in circumstances described above.
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Title VII, Subtitle B, Section 725(2)
The tenets of the law provide children and youth experiencing homelessness with the following:
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Immediate enrollment even when records are not present or immediately available
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Right to remain in the school of origin, if in the student's best interest
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Transportation to the school of origin
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Support for academic success
Questions regarding McKinney-Vento eligibility and services available for students experiencing homelessness in Pequannock should be directed to:
Ann Marie VanSickle
District Homeless Liaison
Telephone: (973) 616-6040 ext. 1010
annmarie.vansickle@pequannock.org
Other questions regarding McKinney-Vento eligibility should be directed to:
Pheobie Thomas, State Coordinator
New Jersey Department of Education
Office of Supplemental Educational Programs
Telephone: (609) 376-9080
mckinney.vento@doe.nj.gov