Lewisburg Area School District Policies	Printable version
251 Homeless Students 251. HOMELESS STUDENTS The Board recognizes its obligation to ensure that homeless students have access to the same educational programs and services provided to other district students. The Board shall make reasonable efforts to identify homeless children within the district, encourage their enrollment, and eliminate existing barriers to their attendance and education, in compliance with federal and state regulations and law. The Board may waive policies, procedures, and administrative regulations that create barriers for enrollment, attendance, transportation, or success in school of homeless students based on recommendations of the Superintendent. Homeless students are defined as individuals lacking a fixed, regular, and nighttime residences, which include any of the following conditions: 1. Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing or economic hardship.2. Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to a lack of alternative adequate accommodations.3. Living in emergency, transitional, or domestic violence shelters.4. Abandoned in hospitals.5. Awaiting foster care placement.6. Living in public or private places not designated for or ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodations for human beings.7. Living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, transportation stations, or similar settings.8. Living as migratory children in conditions described in previous examples.9. Living as runaway children.10. Abandoned or forced out of homes by parents or caretakers.11. Living as school age unwed mothers in houses for unwed mothers if they have no other living accommodations. School of origin is defined as the school the student attended when permanently housed or the school in which the student was last enrolled. The Board designates the building guidance counselors to serve as the district’s liaisons for homeless students and families. The district’s liaison shall coordinate with:1. Local service agencies that provide services to homeless children and youth and their families.2. Other school districts on issues of records transfer and transportation.3. State and local housing agencies responsible for comprehensive housing affordability strategies. The district’s liaison shall provide public notice of educational rights of homeless students in schools, family shelters, and soup kitchens. Students shall not be discriminated against, segregated, nor stigmatized based on their status as homeless students. Enrollment/Placement To the extent feasible, and in accordance with the student’s best interest, a homeless student shall continue to be enrolled in his/her school of origin while s/he remains homeless or until the end of the academic year in which s/he obtains permanent housing. Parents/Guardians of a homeless student may request enrollment in the school in the attendance area where the student is actually living or other schools. If a student is unaccompanied by a parent/guardian, the district liaison will consider the views of the student in determining where s/he will be enrolled. The selected school shall immediately enroll the student and begin instruction, even if the student is unable to produce records normally required for enrollment pursuant to district policies. However, the district may require a parent/guardian to submit contact information. The district liaison may contact the previous school for oral confirmation of immunizations, and the school shall request records from the previous district, pursuant to Board policy.If the district is unable to determine the student’s grade level due to missing or incomplete records, the district shall administer tests or use appropriate means to determine the student’s placement.If a dispute arises over school selection or enrollment, the student shall be immediately enrolled in the school in which enrollment is sought, pending resolution of the dispute. The parents/guardians shall be provided with a written explanation of the district’s decision, their right to appeal, and the procedures to use for the appeal. Services Homeless students shall be provided services comparable to those offered to other district students including, but not limited to, transportation services; school nutrition programs; vocational programs and technical education; preschool programs; programs for students with limited English proficiency; and educational services for which students meet eligibility criteria, such as programs for disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, and gifted and talented students. Transportation The district shall provide transportation for homeless students to their school of origin or the school they choose to attend within the school district. If the school of origin is outside district boundaries or homeless students live in another district but will attend their school of origin in this district, the school districts shall agree upon a method to apportion the responsibility and costs of the transportation.