Homeless Liaison:
Kevin Dobson
Executive Director
Capital College & Career Academy
501 Arden Way
Sacramento, CA 95835
(916) 234-0583

 

EDUCATION OF HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH POLICY

The Board of Directors of the Capital College & Career Academy (“CCCA” or the “Charter School”) desires to ensure that students living in homeless situations are provided equal access to the same free, appropriate public education provided to other children and youth.

Students living in homeless situations will be given access to the education and other services that such students need to ensure that they have an opportunity to meet the same challenging state student academic achievement standards to which all students are held.

Students living in homeless situations will not be stigmatized or segregated in a separate school or program based on the student’s living condition being unhoused.

 
Definitions

●Homeless children and youth mean individuals who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence and includes 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 (not including mobile home parks), or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals;

○Who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designated for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;

○Who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings;

○Who are migratory children who qualify as homeless for purposes of this part because the children are living in circumstances described above.

●Unaccompanied youth includes a youth not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian.

●Capital College & Career Academy is the school of origin when the student attended Capital College & Career Academy when permanently housed or was last enrolled when the student became homeless. Capital College & Career Academy will not be considered the school of origin when it is contrary to the wishes of a student’s parent(s) or guardian(s), or is not in the best interest of the student.

In determining the best interest of the child or youth, Capital College & Career Academy shall:

○Presume that keeping the child or youth at Capital College & Career Academy is in the best interest of the child or youth, less it is contrary to
the request of the child’s or youth’s parent or guardian, or unaccompanied youth;

○Consider student-centered factors related to the child’s or youth’s best interest, including factors related to the impact of mobility on
achievement, education, health, and safety of homeless children and youth, giving priority to the request of the child’s or youth’s parent or
guardian or unaccompanied youth;

○If, after conducting the best interest determination based on consideration of the presumption identified above and the student-centered factors identified above, Capital College & Career Academy determines that it is not in the child’s or youth’s best interest to attend the school, the school shall provide the child’s or youth’s parent or guardian or the unaccompanied youth with a written explanation of the reasons for its
determination, in a manner and form understandable to such parent, guardian, or unaccompanied youth, including information regarding the
right to appeal; and

○In the case of an unaccompanied youth, ensure that Capital College & Career Academy’s liaison assists in placement or enrollment decisions, gives priority to the views of such unaccompanied youth and provides notice to such youth of the right to appeal.

A child or youth or unaccompanied youth shall be considered homeless for as long as
he/she is in a living situation described above.

 

Homeless Liaison

The Capital College & Career Academy’s homeless liaison is:

Kevin Dobson
Executive Director
Capital College & Career Academy
501 Arden Way
Sacramento, CA 95835
916-234-0583

The school’s homeless liaison is required to do all of the following:

● Ensure that children and youths living in homeless situations are identified by school personnel through outreach and coordination of activities with other entities and agencies;

● Ensure that children and youths living in homeless situations enroll in, and have a full and equal opportunity to succeed in the school;

● Ensure that children and youths living in homeless situations receive referrals to educational services for which such families, children, and youth are eligible, including referrals to health care services, dental services, mental health and substance abuse services, housing services and other appropriate services;

● Ensure that the parents or guardians of children and youth living in homeless situations are informed of the educational and related opportunities available to their children and are provided with meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children;

● Ensure that enrollment disputes are mediated in accordance with the dispute resolution process outlined below;

● Ensure that public notice of the educational rights of children and youth living in homeless situations is disseminated in locations frequented by parents or guardians, including schools, shelters, public libraries and soup kitchens, in a manner and form understandable to the parents and guardians of children and youths living in homeless situations, and unaccompanied youths; including transportation to the school of origin and is assisted in accessing transportation to the school;

● Ensure that school personnel providing services participate in professional development and other technical support as determined appropriate by school administration and state guidelines;

● Ensure that unaccompanied youths
1) are enrolled in school;
2) have opportunities to meet the same challenging state academic standards as the state establishes for other children and youth, including implementation of procedures to identify and remove barriers that prevent youths from receiving appropriate credit for full or partial coursework satisfactorily completed while attending a prior school; and
3) are informed of their status as independent students and that the youths may obtain assistance from the liaison to receive verification of such status for purposes of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. 

● Ensure that the parent or guardian of a student living in a homeless condition, and any unaccompanied youth, is fully informed of all transportation services,

 

Enrollment

All students identified as living in a homeless condition are required to follow the school’s process for enrolling students, including filling out and submitting the school’s enrollment packet on time. As with all students, enrollment depends upon availability. In the event of an oversubscription in a grade, students identified as living in a homeless condition will participate in the lottery as with any other student.

If the student identified as living in a homeless condition seeking to enroll is unable to produce records normally required for enrollment, such as previous academic records, medical records, proof of residency or other documentation, this will not serve as a basis for non-enrollment. Provided that the enrollment process has been followed in all other respects, a student identified as living in a homeless condition will be enrolled at Capital College & Career Academy despite the missing paperwork. Upon enrollment, Capital College & Career Academy will contact the school last attended by the students to obtain relevant academic and other records.

If the student needs to obtain immunizations, or immunization or medical records, Capital College & Career Academy will immediately refer the parent or guardian of the student, or the unaccompanied youth, to the Homeless Liaison, who shall assist in obtaining necessary immunizations, or immunization or medical records.

Enrollment Disputes and the Dispute Resolution Process
If a dispute arises over enrollment at Capital College & Career Academy of a student identified as living in a homeless condition, the student will be immediately enrolled pending resolution of the dispute. “Enrolled” means attending classes and participating fully in school activities.

Capital College & Career Academy will refer the student and/or his/her parents or guardians to the Homeless Liaison, who will carry out the dispute resolution in accordance with the process set forth below, as expeditiously as possible after receiving notice of the dispute. In the case of an unaccompanied youth, the Homeless Liaison will ensure that the youth is immediately enrolled in school pending resolution of the dispute.

Parents, guardians and unaccompanied youth may provide written or oral documentation to support their positions about enrollment and may seek assistance of social services, advocates, and/or service providers in the dispute process.

Capital College & Career Academy will provide the parent or guardian of the student with a written explanation of the school’s decision regarding enrollment, including the rights of the parent, guardian or unaccompanied youth’s appeal the decision. The
written explanation will be complete, as brief as possible, simply stated and provided in a language that the parent, guardian or unaccompanied youth can understand.

If the dispute remains unresolved or is appealed, then the Capital College & Career Homeless Liaison will forward all written documentation and related paperwork to the homeless liaison at the county office of education (COE). The COE’s homeless liaison
will review these materials and determine the school selection or enrollment decision within five (5) working days of receipt of the materials. The COE homeless liaison will notify Capital College & Career Academy and parent/guardian/unaccompanied youth of the decision.

If the dispute remains unresolved at the COE level or is appealed to the state, then the COE homeless liaison will forward all written documentation and related paperwork to the State Homeless Coordinator. Upon review, the CDE will notify the parent/guardian/unaccompanied youth of the decision relating enrollment at Capital College & Career Academy within ten working days of receipt of the materials.

Transportation

Capital College & Career Academy will provide or arrange for transportation of a student identified as living in a homeless condition, at the request of the parent, guardian or Homeless Liaison, to our campus when Capital College & Career Academy is the school of origin. If the student begins living in an area served by another local educational agency while continuing his/her education at Capital College & Career Academy, then Capital College & Career Academy will contact that local educational agency to agree upon a method to apportion the responsibility and costs for providing  the student with transportation to and from Capital College & Career Academy.  

Comparable Education Services
Each student identified as living in a homeless condition will be provided access to services comparable to services offered to other students, including but not limited to the following:

●Education services for which the student meets federal, state and local program eligibility criteria
●School nutrition program