Worried about where you’re going to sleep tonight? Concerned about your child’s education?
If you, your family or someone you know ...
- Lives with relatives or friends
- Usually sleeps on someone’s couch or in a car or a shelter or an abandoned building
- Lives in a temporary trailer park or campground
- Lost or left his/her/your home
Then there are some things you should know.
Students without a permanent home have the right to:
Go to school, including public pre-school, no matter where they live or how long they’ve lived there
- Continue to go to the school they attended before they left their home
- Register without giving a permanent address
- Start classes while the school arranges for the transfer of school and immunization records
- Attend classes even while the school and student resolve disputes over enrollment
- Obtain Free Lunch (and breakfast, if offered)
- Receive transportation to the school they attended last, if they request it
- Receive transportation to school and to school programs
- Participate in School Programs R
- Receive the same support & services as all students
If you need help getting your child into school, contact:
The Department of Education State Coordinator
(781) 338-6294
The Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice
(617) 482-8686
The Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
(781) 595-7570
Produced by Massachusetts Advocates for the Education of Homeless Children and Youths Created August, 2006