Enrollment & School Selection

Every Local Educational Agency (LEA) must ensure that students who are experiencing homelessness are immediately enrolled in school. This is a Sample Enrollment Process that school districts may follow for immediately enrolling students experiencing homelessness.

The Housing Questionnaire should be used by all school districts as the first page of the enrollment packet for all newly enrolling students. The Housing Questionnaire should also be given to all students/families any time they report a change of address. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) requires all LEAs that receive Title I funds (including school districts, charter schools, and BOCES) to use the Housing Questionnaire. NYSED also encourages all other LEAs to use the Housing Questionnaire because it asks about students’ living arrangements in order to identify students experiencing homelessness in the school district.

New York State Education Department
The STAC-202 form indicates that a student has been designated as homeless, and specifies the name of the district the student will be attending. It is also used by local districts to request reimbursement from NYSED for the costs of education a temporarily housed student who moves into the district from another school district in New York State.

In accordance with Federal and State legislation, all personally identifiable information (PII) must be sent to the STAC Unit via one of the following approved modes of transmission:

SED File Transfer Manager (FTM): Sign Up for access to SED File Transfer Manager here. Log in here.
Fax to (518) 402-5047, with notification to the recipient of when the information will be sent.
US Mail 1st Class/Priority, or with another service with tracking (UPS, DHL, or FedEx).

The Housing Questionnaire should be used by all school districts as the first page of the enrollment packet for all newly enrolling students. The Housing Questionnaire should also be given to all students/families any time they report a change of address. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) requires all LEAs that receive Title I funds (including school districts, charter schools, and BOCES) to use the Housing Questionnaire. NYSED also encourages all other LEAs to use the Housing Questionnaire because it asks about students’ living arrangements in order to identify students experiencing homelessness in the school district.

NYS-TEACHS
The McKinney-Vento Enrollment Checklist, developed by NYS-TEACHS, outlines steps McKinney-Vento liaisons should take when enrolling students experiencing homelessness. The checklist includes links to key documents and referrals.

New York State Education Department
The STAC-202 form indicates that a student has been designated as homeless, and specifies the name of the district the student will be attending. It is also used by local districts to request reimbursement from NYSED for the costs of education a temporarily housed student who moves into the district from another school district in New York State.

In accordance with Federal and State legislation, all personally identifiable information (PII) must be sent to the STAC Unit via one of the following approved modes of transmission:

SED File Transfer Manager (FTM): Sign Up for access to SED File Transfer Manager here. Log in here.
Fax to (518) 402-5047, with notification to the recipient of when the information will be sent.
US Mail 1st Class/Priority, or with another service with tracking (UPS, DHL, or FedEx).

This NCHE brief:

summarizes the key provisions of Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act related to the identification of children and youth experiencing homelessness; and
provides an overview of implementation strategies at the state and local levels.

This flowchart is meant to aid you in making decisions about a student’s eligibility as homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act (42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.), but it may not capture every housing situation.

NYS-TEACHS
Our Quick Tip Sheets provide detailed information about the rights of students experiencing homelessness in a one-page format. Each guide is targeted to a specific school role.

This brief is designed to be used in conjunction with NCHE’s School Selection brief, which explains the basic
rights included in the McKinney-Vento Act related to
school selection, and offers strategies for linking homeless
students to services in their school of origin or for helping
homeless students transition to a new school.

This NCHE brief describes common enrollment barriers experienced by students in homeless situations, summarizes the key school enrollment provisions included in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, and suggests strategies for ensuring the immediate school enrollment and full school participation of McKinney-Vento-eligible students.

This brief is designed to be used in conjunction with NCHE’s Guiding the Discussion on School Selection brief, which provides practical suggestions for determining
the school that is in a homeless student’s best interest
to attend, and discussing school selection choices with
homeless parents, guardians, or unaccompanied youth.

NYS-TEACHS
This tip sheet from NYS-TEACHS guides the user through best practices for having conversations about housing status with families. We provide best practices for common scenarios.

Interested in more tip sheets from NYS-TEACHS? See our Quick Tip Sheets series targeted to specific school roles.

NYS Education Law Section 3209 describes the rights of students in temporary housing in New York State.

Important changes to New York Education Law Section 3209 went into effect on April 20, 2017. The changes to this law reflect changes to the federal McKinney-Vento Act that were made under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Below, along with the link to download the new text of the law, you will find a link to a marked-up version of Education Law § 3209 that highlights the changes.

United States Department of Education

On March 2, 2017, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) revised the Non-Regulatory Guidance for the Education for Homeless Children and Youths Program. This revised Non-Regulatory Guidance replaces the July 2016 Guidance and includes new questions and answers on the amendments to the McKinney-Vento Act made by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which took effect on October 1, 2016, and new technical assistance on promising practices for implementing homeless education requirements at the State and local levels.

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act is a federal law that protects the public education of children and youth experiencing homelessness. The text attached here is the latest version of the law since it was reauthorized on December 10, 2015 by Title IX, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

This Field Memo provides information about when a district can directly bill another district for tuition for a student who was homeless and has become permanently housed; and what documentation a district should submit to another district when requesting such reimbursement.