Every child deserves an education
SPS provides various types of support for students experiencing homelessness in order to help them attend school consistently. Eligible families may be living in shelters or may not have their own lease because they are temporarily staying with family members or acquaintances due to economic hardship or similar reasons. Contact Jodi Connolly, the district’s Homeless Education Coordinator, at 978-825-3601 for more details.
McKinney-Vento Act
What is McKinney-Vento?
The McKinney-Vento Act covers children and youth who don’t have a fixed, adequate and regular nighttime residence, including living …
- in a shelter;
- in a motel, hotel or campground, in a car, bus or train station, an abandoned building, or other inadequate accommodation or with other people due to loss of housing, economic hardship or similar reason (also known as doubled up). This includes migrant youth and unaccompanied youth living in any of the above situations
Students enrolling under McKinney-Vento have the right to:
- immediate enrollment even if they do not have the required documentation
- attend the school they attended when they became homeless or the last school they attended (school of origin)
- immediate enrollment even if they do not have the required documentation
- attend the school they attended
- transportation to the school of origin if it’s in another district (if appropriate).
- access special education services if the student has a current IEP
- participate in school activities that are available to other students
- free breakfast & lunch