Students Experiencing Homelessness and Their Families

To the extent practical and as required by law, the district will work with students experiencing homelessness and their families to provide stability in school attendance and other services. Special attention will be given to ensuring the enrollment and attendance of students experiencing homelessness not currently attending school. Students experiencing homelessness will be provided district services for which they are eligible, including Head Start and comparable pre-school programs, Title I, similar state programs, special education, bilingual education, vocational and technical education programs, Highly Capable student programs, and school nutrition programs.

Students experiencing homelessness are defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act as “lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence,” including:

A. Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing or economic hardship;
B. Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations;
C. Living in emergency or transitional shelters;
D. Being abandoned in hospitals;
E. Living in public or private places not designed for/or ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodations for human beings;
F. Living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, transportation stations, or similar settings.
G. Migratory children living in conditions described in items A-F.

 

District Liaison for students experiencing homelessness:
Tracey MacLachlan
Director of Teaching & Learning
Washougal School District Office
tracey.maclachlan@washougalsd.org
360-954-3002

 

Please click to read Board Policy 3115, covering Students Experiencing Homelessness – Enrollment Rights and Services.