School Rights for Students Who Are Homeless in Wilson School District
Wilson School District posts a notice explaining that children and youth who are homeless have the same right to a free public education as other students, including the right to keep attending the school they were in before they lost stable housing.
Under the Pennsylvania Education for Homeless Children and Youth State Plan, homeless children are defined as children living with a parent in a domestic violence shelter; runaway children and children and youth who have been abandoned or forced out of their home by parents or other caretakers; and school-aged parents living in houses for school-aged parents if they have no other available living accommodations.
The protections come from the McKinney-Vento Act, which states that it is the policy of Congress that state educational agencies shall ensure that each child of a homeless individual and each homeless youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as provided to other children and youths.
On where a student goes to school, the district must presume that keeping a homeless child or youth in the school of origin is in that child's or youth's best interest, unless that is contrary to the request of the parent or guardian, or of the youth in the case of an unaccompanied youth. The district must consider student-centered factors related to the child's or youth's best interest, giving priority to the request of the parent, guardian or unaccompanied youth. If the district decides the school of origin, or the school the parent, guardian or unaccompanied youth asked for, is not in the child's best interest, it must provide a written explanation of the reasons in a manner and form that is understandable. "School of origin" means the school the child or youth attended when permanently housed, or the school in which the child or youth was last enrolled.
The notice also points to three resources: a district page for the Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness program, the Berks Coalition to End Homelessness, and Family Promise.
The notice does not name a homeless liaison, list documents to bring, or give steps for enrolling a student in this situation. For general questions, the district office is at 2601 Grandview Blvd., West Lawn, PA 19609, phone 610-670-0180. Office hours are not listed.
Source: wilsonsd.org/page/youth-homelessnessmckinney-vento-act, read September 18, 2026.
The details
In Wilson School District’s words
The McKinney-Vento Act states that it is the policy of Congress that state educational agencies shall ensure that each child of a homeless individual and each homeless youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as provided to other children and youths 42 U.S.C. § 11431.
Organization
Wilson School District
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This listing summarizes publicly available information from wilsonsd.org/page/youth-homelessnessmckinney-vento-act. Last recorded review: September 18, 2026. Contact the provider to confirm eligibility, hours and availability before you go. If something here is wrong, tell us.