McKinney-Vento Act

The Syracuse City School District is dedicated to identification and immediate enrollment for students who are experiencing temporary housing on a case-by-case basis.

The District ensures students have access to the same free and appropriate public education (FAPE), including preschool education, as defined by the McKinney-Vento Act reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015.

How does McKinney-Vento Act define temporarily housed?

• A student who lacks a fixed, adequate and regular nighttime residence.

What does “fixed”, “adequate”, and “regular” mean?

• A “fixed” residence is one that is stationary, permanent and not subject to change.
• An “adequate” residence is one that is sufficient for meeting both the physical and psychological needs typically met in home environments.
• A “regular” residence is one which is used on a nightly basis.
   

Examples of housing arrangements that are NOT fixed, regular, and adequate can include:

• Living in emergency or transitional shelters;
• Share housing due to loss of housing or economic hardship (“doubled-up”);
• Live in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camp grounds due to lack of alternative adequate housing;
• Are awaiting foster care placement;
• Are abandoned in hospitals;
• Live in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, or bus or train stations;
• Have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, regular sleeping accommodations;
• Are migratory children living in circumstances described above.