Homeless students in the Mountain Valley Region

McKinney-Vento Homeless Education

Homeless students that reside in the Mountain Valley Region of RSU #10 are protected by law to help minimize educational disruptions. The law is the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. 

Under McKinney-Vento, homeless students are guaranteed the right to a free, appropriate, public education. When students become homeless, they can remain enrolled in the schools they have been attending, although they might no longer meet residency requirements. McKinney-Vento also guarantees homeless students the right to enroll in a public school even if they lack the typically required documents and immunizations. In addition, homeless students are guaranteed the transportation they need to attend school.

According to McKinney-Vento, "homeless" can be defined as an individual who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence, including children and youth:

• Sharing housing due to loss of housing or economic hardship
• Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate housing
• Living in emergency or transitional housing
• Abandoned in hospitals
• Awaiting foster care
• Having a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, regular sleeping accommodations
• Living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations
• Migratory students meeting the descriptions above

For more information, please visit http://www.maine.gov/doe/homeless/index.html

If you have any questions or need information about homeless students in the Mountain Valley Region, please contact me at Mountain Valley High School.