South St. Paul Public Schools is committed to ensuring that every student has access to a safe, stable, and supportive education. Under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, students experiencing homelessness have specific educational rights and protections.
Who Qualifies?
Under McKinney-Vento, a child or young person may be considered experiencing homelessness when they do not have a fixed, regular, and adequate place to sleep at night. This may include students and families who:
- Are temporarily sharing housing with others because they lost their home, are experiencing financial hardship, or for a similar reason.
- Are living in a motel, hotel, trailer park, campground, emergency shelter, or transitional housing.
- Are staying in a place not intended or typically used as a regular sleeping accommodation.
- Are living in a car, park, public space, abandoned building, bus or train station, or other setting that does not provide adequate housing.
- Are migratory children living in any of the circumstances described above.
Educational Rights
Students experiencing homelessness have the right to receive a free, appropriate public education and to remain connected to their school. Under McKinney-Vento, eligible students have the right to:
- Stay in their current school when it is in the student’s best interest.
- Enroll in school immediately, even without a permanent address, immunization records, or other required documents.
- Receive free school meals without delay.
- Access transportation to and from school when feasible.
- Participate fully in school activities, including extracurricular programs and athletics, alongside their peers.
- Receive additional educational services and support based on their individual needs.
Need Assistance?
If your family is experiencing a housing situation that may qualify under McKinney-Vento, you do not have to navigate it alone. Please contact your child’s teacher, principal, school counselor, or another support staff member at your child’s school. You can also contact the SSPPS Student Services Team directly at 651-457-9481. Our staff can help answer questions, determine eligibility, and connect your family with available support.
Dispute Resolution
Families and unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness have the right to challenge decisions related to school enrollment, placement, or services. Students must remain enrolled in and continue attending their school of choice while a dispute is being resolved, with transportation and other appropriate services provided.
If a dispute cannot be resolved at the school or district level, families may request a review by the Minnesota Department of Education’s Homeless State Coordinator. Families can ask the State Coordinator (Jyoti Wadhwa, 651-582-8376, jyoti.wadhwa@state.mn.us) to review such decision compliance with applicable law. Each request must include any documentation related to the dispute resolution proceeding.
