< Back to Parent Liaison Information

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is Title X, Part C of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.  This legislation ensures that children and youth experiencing homelessness have full and equal access to an appropriate public education.  The intent of the laws is that there are no barriers to students receiving an education. The Code of Virginia was amended in 2004 to align with this legislation.  

The McKinney-Vento Act [§ 725] defines “homeless children and youth” (school age and younger) as:  Children and youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including children and youth who are residing in the following situations due to a due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason  

• Doubled up with relatives, friends, or strangers; 

• Living in emergency or transitional shelters;

• Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping grounds, or abandoned in hospitals;

• Living in cars, parks, public spaces, bus or train stations, or abandoned buildings;

• Having a primary nighttime residence that is a substandard, or a public/private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodations due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations;  

• Awaiting a foster care placement; 

• Migratory children or youth living in circumstances described above; and/or

• Unaccompanied youth, meaning youth not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian, such as runaways and youth denied housing by their families

• Children and youth experiencing homelessness have a right to attend school.

• You do not need a permanent address to enroll your child in school.

• Children and youth experiencing homelessness can stay in their school of origin or enroll in any public school that students living in the same attendance zone are eligible to attend, whichever circumstance proves to be in the student’s best interest.

• Schools must provide you with a written explanation if a placement dispute occurs. Contact your local Homeless Liaison for assistance in handling a placement dispute.

• Your child cannot be denied school enrollment because school records or other enrollment documentation are not immediately available.

• Your child may have the right to transportation services to and from the school of origin if determined feasible. Your child has the right to participate in extracurricular activities and all federal, state, or local programs for which he/she is eligible. Transportation may not be available for these activities.

• Unaccompanied youth have these same rights. (Contact your local Homeless Liaison.) 

The Mckinney-Vento application is now online. The link for parents/guardians/students to apply is the following.

The application is available in both spanish and english. It can be accessed through a phone, laptop, or tablet. Starting in the 2020-2021 school year, all applications must be submitted online through this link. 

Once the mckinney-vento team receives and reviews the application, the student’s school contacts will receive an email indicating that the application has been submitted. An email for approvals, denials and applications that need additional information will follow after an eligibility decision has been made. Please note, the team will begin reviewing the applications towards the end of June.

McKinney-Vento Contact:

Holly Angle
McKinney-Vento Specialist
Loudoun County Public Schools
Ashburn, VA 20148
571-252-6523