• Each child of a homeless individual and each homeless youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, as provided to other children and youths, including a public preschool education. 

    A “homeless child” is defined as provided in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and the Illinois Education for Homeless Children Act. Homeless students include, but are not limited to, children or youth sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason (commonly referred to as being “doubled up”) and students who are otherwise not residing in a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.

    Any homeless child shall be immediately admitted, even if the child or child’s parent/guardian is unable to produce records normally required to establish residency. A homeless student must be immediately enrolled in any of the following:

    1. the school in which he or she was enrolled when permanently housed (“school of origin”); or
    2. the school in which he or she was last enrolled (“school of origin”); or
    3. any public school that non-homeless students who live in the attendance area in which the homeless student is living are eligible to attend.

    DuPage County Community Resource Information System (DuPage CRIS) has numerous resources for families experiencing homelessness or other needs. Also, here is the Cass School District 63 Board Policy 6:140 Education of Homeless Children. Additional resources are available under the Healthy Kids, Safe Schools section of the district website.

    Bella Dahlheimer
    School Social Worker and District Homeless Liaison
    bdahlheimer@cassd63.org
    331-481-4000