McKinney Vento - Homelessness

Students Experiencing Homelessness/Housing Instability

Wayne Local Schools is committed to supporting students who may be experiencing homelessness or housing instability. Providing support for students and their families is crucial for ensuring equitable access to education and fostering academic success.

Homelessness can significantly disrupt students' lives, creating instability that can impede their ability to focus on learning. By offering support services such as access to food, clothing, hygiene facilities and transportation assistance, the district hopes to mitigate some of the immediate challenges that students experiencing homelessness face. School counselors are available to support students academically and emotionally through challenges like this by connecting them with resources to address their individual needs. By recognizing and addressing the barriers that homelessness presents to education, Wayne Local Schools works to create a more inclusive and supportive learning environment where all students have the opportunity to thrive.

Definition of Homelessness in Education: 

The term “homeless children and youth” means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, adequate nighttime residence. This includes:

• Individuals who have lost their own home, suffering a financial hardship or similar reason; 
• Individuals who are sharing the housing of others; 
• Individuals who are living in hotels or motels or in campgrounds or trailer parks that are not viewed as year-round homes because they do not have accommodations, such as heat or running water; 
• Individuals who are living in emergency shelters or who have been abandoned in hospitals; and 
• ​Individuals who are living in cars, parks or public spaces.

Your Rights: 

It’s important to know that the law allows students who are experiencing homelessness to remain enrolled in the school they were in before becoming homeless or enroll in a school where they are living for the time being. The family of the child helps decide which situation is in the best interest of the child, and the school district will provide transportation assistance if needed.

• Enroll and attend classes without delay while the school arranges for the transfer of school and immunization records or any other documents required for enrollment, even if there is a dispute and in the appeal process 
• Continue in the school they attended before you became homeless (*school of origin) or the schooling in the attendance area where the family or youth is currently residing, if that is the parent’s request and is feasible. 
• Receive transportation to school and to school programs, if requested. 
• Receive the same special programs and services, if needed, as provided to all other children. 
• Attend school along with children not experiencing homelessness. 
• Receive free meals 
• After being placed in permanent housing, may stay in the original school for the rest of the school year and receive transportation to that school to provide stability. 
  

*What is the “school of origin”? The term ‘school or origin’ means the school the child or youth attended when permanently housed or the school in which the child or youth was last enrolled. It is the district’s responsibility to consider the best interests of the child or youth when making a decision regarding what school to attend. Consideration must be given to placement at the school of origin unless doing so is contrary to the wishes of the parent or guardian.

Please complete the following form to give us a little more information to be able to better assist you: Housing Questionnaire

Parent Resources:
Warren County Community Resources
Coalition on Homelessness and Housing Ohio
Homes for Families
National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE)
School House Connection
National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty
Runaway and Homeless Youth

For more information, please contact:
Kevin Wright,
Director of Student Services & Homeless Liason
email: kwright@waynelocal.net
Phone: (513) 897-6971