- Duarte Unified School District
- Homeless Youth
Homeless Youth Services
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THE McKINNEY-VENTO ASSISTANCE ACT
The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children and youth as individuals who:
• lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence;
• live in an abandoned building, parked car, or another facility unfit for human habitation;
• are abandoned in hospitals;
• are placed by the state in an emergency shelter;
• share housing with another family due to loss of housing or economic hardship;
• live in a motel or hotel;
• live in emergency or transitional shelters;
• live in a trailer park or campsite with their family;
• are awaiting foster placement; or
• are migratory children that qualify as homeless because they are living in the circumstances described aboveSTUDENTS' RIGHTS• Schools must immediately enroll homeless students even if they lack the required documents
• Temporarily with an adult that is not the parent/ guardian due to loss of housing;
• On their own without a parent/guardian (runaway or unaccompanied youth);
• In a home for minor unwed mothers.
• If transcripts are missing, enroll immediately, and request records from the previous school.
• Students with out-of-district IEP's and outdated IEP's must be enrolled immediately in an interim placement pending a 30-day evaluation. Consult with the Division of Special Education.
• Homeless students can continue to attend their last school of enrollment or enroll in the school in the area where the family is temporarily residing.
• The "school of origin" (the school attended when permanently housed or the last school attended, or within the past 15 months.
• If the family gains permanent housing, the student can remain at the current school for the duration of that academic year.
• Unless the student is attending their "home school" or school of residence, they do not have the right to participate in the next matriculating school. Upon matriculation, they must attend the school in the area in which they are temporarily residing.HOMELESS SCHOOL SITE LIAISONS:
Norm Anderson: Duarte High SchoolNorm Anderson: Mt. Olive Innovation and Technology High School
Edgar Navarro Aleman: Royal Oaks Elementary
Ryan Rybicki: Maxwell ElementaryRene Mata: Beardslee Elementary
Mary Jansen: Valley View Elementary
Annabelle Lopez: Child Development CenterNaelh Othman: DUSD District Office
In accordance with the federal McKinney-Vento Assistance Act, Duarte Unified School District offers families in transition a stable educational experience for their children. To determine if your child is eligible for these services, please complete this Student Housing Questionnaire and return it to the Main Office at your child's school.Student Housing Questionnaire - English
Student Housing Questionnaire - Spanish
If you have questions regarding services for Homeless Youth within Duarte Unified, please contact Naelh Othman, District Foster & Homeless Youth Liaison, at (626) 599-5010 or nothman@duarteusd.org.Homeless Youth Resources:Your Call Wireless - Free Cell phones for those that qualifyAssurance Wireless - Free Cell phones for those that qualifyAffidavit of Homeless Status for Fee Exempt Birth Certificate
Foothill Unity Support and Crisis ServicesLos Angeles Department of Social ServicesLos Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA)
