Homeless & Foster Care Education

Peabody Public Schools offers a range of support services to help students experiencing homelessness to ensure they can attend school regularly and provide some stability. Families may qualify if they are living in shelters or temporarily sharing housing with other persons due to financial hardship or other similar circumstances. For more information, please contact Steven Magno, the district’s Homeless Education Liaison, at 978-998-1937.

McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act

What is the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act?

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance 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 accommodations
• 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

Unaccompanied Youth

Youths who are out of the physical custody of a parent or legal guardian and lack of fixed, regular, and adequate housing have all the rights of other homeless students.

Students enrolling under McKinney-Vento have the right to:

• Enroll and attend classes even if they do not have the required documentation immediately
• Attend the school they attended before experiencing homelessness
• Transportation to and from the school of origin in another district (up to one hour each way)
• Access special education services if the student has a current IEP
• Participate in any school activities that are available to other students
• Receive free school meals

Foster Care

Definition – Students in Foster Care

Students who are in:

• 24-hour out-of-home care, placed away from their parents or guardians, and for whom the Department of Children and Families (DCF) has placement and care responsibilities.
• Foster homes, including, but not limited to:
  • Treatment Residences (formally Group Homes)
  • Foster homes
  • Kinship foster homes
  • Emergency Residences
  • Transitional care units (TCUs)