File: JFABD - Homeless Students

It is the Board's intent to remove barriers to the identification, enrollment and retention of homeless children and youth in school in accordance with state and federal law. The district shall take reasonable steps to ensure that homeless students are not segregated or stigmatized and that decisions are made in the best interests of the student.

Terms used in this policy and its accompanying regulation, such as "homeless children and youth," "unaccompanied youth," "school of origin," "enrollment," and "attendance area school" shall be as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and its implementing regulations. For purposes of this policy and its accompanying regulation, "homeless students" shall refer to "homeless children and youth."

Each homeless student shall have access to and shall be provided education services for which the student is eligible, comparable to services provided to other students in the school, including summer school, career and technical education programs, gifted education programs, and school nutrition programs. Transportation services for homeless students shall be provided in accordance with applicable law.

Homeless students shall be provided access to education and other services that they need to ensure that they have an opportunity to meet the same student performance standards to which all students are held. All educational decisions shall be made in the best interests of the student.

The district shall coordinate with other districts and with local social services agencies and other agencies or programs providing services to homeless students as needed.

At least one staff member shall be designated to serve as the local liaison and shall fulfill the duties required of the position as set forth in state and federal law. The district shall provide training and other technical assistance to the local liaison(s) and other appropriate district staff regarding the district's obligations to homeless students.

Duties of the local liaison and procedures for identification, enrollment, transportation and dispute resolution for homeless students shall be made in accordance with the accompanying regulation and applicable law.

Adopted January 10, 1995

Revised February 4, 2003

Revised December 2, 2008

Revised March 10, 2015

Revised April 24, 2018

Reviewed August 21, 2023

LEGAL REFS.:  20 U.S.C. 1232g (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)

20 U.S.C. 6313(c)(3) (reservation of Title I funding for homeless children and youths)

42 U.S.C. §11431 et seq. (McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act - Education for Homeless Children and Youth)

C.R.S. 22-1-102.5 (definition of homeless child)

C.R.S. 22-32-109 (1)(dd) (duty to adopt/revise policies to remove barriers to access and success in schools for homeless children)

C.R.S. 22-33-103.5 (attendance of homeless children)

C.R.S. 26-5.7-101 et seq. (Homeless Youth Act)