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Homeless Education and McKinney-Vento Program

Definition of Homeless:

The term "homeless children and youths"--

(A) means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence (within the meaning of section 103(a)(1)); and

(B) includes--

(i) children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals;* 

(ii) children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings (within the meaning of section 103(a)(2)(C)); 

(iii) children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and 

(iv) migratory children (as such term is defined in section 1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described in clauses (i) through (iii).

*Per Title IX, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act, "awaiting foster care placement" was removed from the definition of homeless on December 10, 2016; the only exception to his removal is that "covered states" have until December 10, 2017 to remove "awaiting foster care placement" from their definition of homeless.

Contact Us

Dare County Schools Homeless Liaison Contact Information

Shannon Castillo, Ed.D.
Director of Administrative Services
Dare County Schools
(252) 480-8888 ext. 1917

NC Homeless State Coordinator:
Lisa Phillips
NCHEP Website

McKinney-Vento logo Serving students in transition

Parent/Unaccompanied Youth Rights:

Parent Rights:

Your eligible children have the right to: 

  • Receive a free, appropriate public education. 
  • Enroll in school immediately, even if lacking documents normally required for enrollment. 
  • Enroll in school and attend classes while the school gathers needed documents. 
  • Enroll in the local school; or continue attending their school of origin (the school they attended when permanently housed or the school in which they were last enrolled), if that is your preference. * If the school district believes that the school you select is not in the best interest of your children, then the district must provide you with a written explanation of its position and inform you of your right to appeal its decision. 
  • Receive transportation to and from the school of origin, if you request this. 
  • Receive educational services comparable to those provided to other students, according to your children’s needs.

Unaccompanied Youth Rights:

The McKinney-Vento Act defines unaccompanied youth as “a homeless child or youth not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian” [42 USC § 11434a(6)]. Taking a closer look at the definition, two conditions must be present for a child or youth to be considered an unaccompanied youth under the McKinney-Vento Act: 

The child’s or youth’s living arrangement meets the Act’s definition of homeless, and 

The child or youth is not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian. Physical custody refers to where a child or youth is physically living; as such, a child or youth who is not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian is a child or youth who is not living with a parent or guardian. It is important to note, however, that the presence of a custody or guardianship issue alone would not make a student eligible for McKinney-Vento services; rather the student’s living arrangement also must be considered homeless. With this federal definition in mind, the term “unaccompanied youth", as used throughout this brief, refers to youth who are both unaccompanied and experiencing homelessness. 

Homeless Student Counts 

  • 2014-2015  -  161
  • 2015-2016  -  172
  • 2016-2017  -  222
  • 2017- 2018 - 101
  • 2018-2019 - 200
  • 2019-2020 - 215
  • 2020-2021 - 121
  • 2021-2022 - 93
  • 2022-2023 - 99
  • 2023-2024 - 101

It is the policy of Dare County Schools to prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability or age in all programs and activities.