The federal McKinney Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvement Act and Texas State law (Texas Education Code Chapter 25) protect the right for homeless children and youth to receive a free and appropriate public education.

You can enroll in school if you live:

• in a shelter (family shelter, domestic violence shelter, youth shelter, or transitional living program); in a motel, hotel, or weekly-rate housing;
• in a house or an apartment with more than one family because of economic hardship or loss;
• in an abandoned building or a car, at a campground, or on the street;
• in temporary foster care or with an adult who is not your parent or legal guardian;
• in substandard housing (no electricity, no water, and/or no heat); or
• with friends or family because you are a runaway or unaccompanied youth.

You may also:

• continue to attend the school in which you were last enrolled, even if you have moved away from that school’s attendance zone or district;
• receive transportation from your current residence back to your school of origin;
• qualify automatically for Child Nutrition Programs (Free and Reduced-Price Lunch and other district food programs);
• participate fully in all school activities and programs for which you are eligible; and
• contact the district liaison to resolve any disputes that arise during the enrollment process.