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RATIONALE/OBJECTIVE:
The Cobb County School
District (District) seeks to ensure that each homeless student has equal
access to the same, free, appropriate public education, including a public
preschool education, as provided to other District students.
RULE:
A. HOMELESSNESS
DEFINED:
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (Act), 42 U.S.C. § 11434a (2) et.
seq., identifies homeless students as those who:
1. Lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence;
2. Share the housing of other persons due to the loss of housing,
economic hardship, or
a similar reason; live in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping
grounds due to the
lack of alternative adequate accommodations; live in emergency or
transitional
shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care
placement;
3. 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;
4. Live in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard
housing, bus or
train stations, or similar settings; or
5. Are migratory and live in the conditions set forth in Items 2, 3, and
4 above.
B. SCHOOL
SELECTION:
1. Homeless students may:
a. Enroll in the school serving the attendance zone where the
student resides; or
b. Continue enrollment in the school of origin.
2. The school the child attends shall be whichever is in the student’s
best interest. In
determining the best interests of the student, efforts shall be
made, to the extent
feasible, to keep the student in his/her school of origin unless
doing so is against the
wishes of the parent/guardian. (Form
JFABD-1: Enrollment in School of Origin
Request Form])
3. A homeless student who attends his/her school of origin in accordance
with Paragraph
1 above may:
a. Attend that school for the duration of homelessness.
b. Stay in the school for the remainder of the academic year if the
student becomes
permanently housed during the academic year.
c. Attend their school for the duration of homelessness if the
student becomes
homeless between academic years.
C. TRANSPORTATION:
Transportation will be provided to and from the school of origin if
requested by the parent/guardian. (Form
JFABD-2: Procedure for Transportation)
D. DISPUTE
RESOLUTION:
1. If a dispute arises over school selection or enrollment:
a. The student shall be immediately admitted to the school in which
he/she is seeking
enrollment, pending resolution of the dispute.
b. The parent/guardian shall be provided with a written explanation
of the school’s
decision, including the right to appeal.
c. The dispute shall be presented to the District’s homeless liaison
who will consult
with the Assistant Superintendent for Policy and Planning for
resolution.
d. If the matter is not resolved at that level, the Superintendent
shall issue the
District’s decision.
2. Once the District’s decision has been reached, the parent/guardian
shall be provided
with a written explanation of the District’s decision and the
parent/guardian’s right to
appeal such a decision. (Form
JFABD-3: Written Notification Form;
JFABD-4: Dispute
Resolution Form)
E. ENROLLMENT/WITHDRAWAL OF HOMELESS STUDENTS:
1. The Principal or designee shall notify the homeless liaison when a
homeless student is
identified. (Form JFABD-7: Student Residency Statement)
2. The school shall provide the parent/guardian with an Information for
Parents sheet.
(Form
JFABD-5)
3. If a homeless student arrives at school without a parent/guardian,
the student shall
be enrolled and the School Social Worker notified. The social worker
shall contact the
parent/guardian and complete the enrollment process. Students must
meet the
District’s age eligibility criteria for enrollment.
4. Homeless students qualify for free breakfast and lunch. (Form
JFABD-6)
5. When students enroll without records (i.e., transcripts/grade
reports, birth certificate,
immunizations/health records) the Principal or designee shall:
a. Contact the former school to request the student’s records and
discuss
immunization information and tentative placement;
b. Create a cumulative record if it is determined that the records
are not available;
c. Refer the student to public health and provide follow-up to
ensure that the student
has been immunized, if there are no immunization records;
6. Parents/guardians shall provide the school with contact information.
7. Withdrawal:
Homeless students often leave school without officially withdrawing.
If the school
is contacted by another district for a homeless student’s records,
requested
information shall be provided and school records sent within 15 days
to the receiving
school district.
F. ROLE OF THE
HOMELESS LIAISON:
The role of the District’s Homeless Liaison is to provide that:
1. Homeless students:
a. Are identified by school personnel;
b. Enroll in and have an equal opportunity to succeed in school;
c. Receive educational services for which they are eligible;
d. Are referred to the School Social Worker in order to receive
health and dental care
services for which they are eligible;
2. Parents/guardians of homeless students are made aware of educational
and other
opportunities available to their children and are provided with a
meaningful opportunity
to participate in their children’s education;
3. Public notices of the educational rights of homeless students are
disseminated in
schools and such places as family shelters and soup kitchens;
4. Enrollment disputes are resolved in compliance with State guidelines
and, in the event
that such a dispute involves an unaccompanied student, that the
student is enrolled
immediately pending the resolution of the dispute;
5. The parent/guardian is informed of the transportation services
provided, including
transportation to the school of origin.
Adopted: 8/28/03
Reclassified an Administrative Rule: 9/1/04
Reviewed: 5/12/04
Revised: 5/12/04; 8/10/05 |
BOARD ADMINISTRATIVE
RULE