Educational Services For Students Experiencing Homelessness

HUD requires Continuum of Care (CoC) program recipients to establish and implement educational service requirements within homeless service systems. Federal law ensures educational rights and protections for children and young adults 18-24 experiencing homelessness. Protections apply to children and youth who are living with a parent or guardian and those who are not. Every school district and charter school in Texas is required to designate a homeless liaison who is responsible for ensuring the identification, school enrollment and stability, attendance, and opportunities for academic success of students in homeless situations. The McKinney-Vento Act, as amended by the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act, requires Agency policies and practices to be consistent with, and not restrict, the exercise of rights provided by subtitle B of title VII of the Act and other laws relating to the provision of educational and related services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) made significant changes to the McKinney-Vento Act, which the U.S. Department of Education (ED) highlighted in a March 17, 2016 Federal Register notice (81 Fed. Reg. 14432).