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Committee reviews, gives first reading to policy on students experiencing homelessness
Summary
The committee discussed district obligations under federal law to keep students in their school of origin and to provide transportation. Members heard that eligibility has no time cutoff, estimates of affected students are fluid, and the committee approved the policy's first reading.
The school committee reviewed a proposed formal policy on the education of students experiencing homelessness and approved the policy for a first reading.
District staff reminded the committee that federal law requires districts to allow students identified as homeless to remain at their school of origin and that the district is responsible for transportation in such cases. Unidentified Speaker 2 said there is "no cutoff" for the status: whether a student is in a permanent or nonpermanent residence—such as doubled‑up living with relatives—determines eligibility under federal rules.
Committee members asked about scale and duration. An unidentified committee member asked how many students are affected; staff said counts are fluid: "we might have 15 that are identified currently, but for the year, they may have been 42," and at any single time the in‑town count was "under 10" to about 15. Staff emphasized once a student is identified as homeless for the school year they remain counted for that year.
The committee formally moved and approved the first reading of the district's "Education of Students Experiencing Homelessness" policy. The motion was made by Sylvia Saint Pierre and seconded by Victor Bevilacqua; the committee approved the first reading by voice vote.
What happens next: the policy will proceed through the district's adoption process for a second reading and final approval at a future meeting. The committee did not change current operational practice, which staff said already follows federal regulations; the action was to adopt a formal written policy aligned with those rules.
