The term “homeless children and youths” means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and includes:

A. 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, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement;

B. Children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;

C. Children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and

D. Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are living in circumstances described in “A” through “C” above.

The District is the “school of origin” if the homeless student attended school in the District when last permanently housed or when last enrolled in school.

Enrollment of Homeless Students

A child who is homeless shall be considered a resident of the District if he or she is physically living within the District boundaries. In addition, pursuant to the Education for Homeless Children Act (105 ILCS 45/1-1 et seq.), a homeless child will be considered a resident of the District if the child attended a school in the District when he/she was last permanently housed or the child was last enrolled in a school in the District. Accordingly, the parents or guardians of a homeless student may choose to enroll their child in the District if a school within the District is in the area where the child is actually living or if the District is the child’s school of origin. The District shall request such information as it deems necessary to determine whether such person meets the indicia of a homeless individual, as set out in these Administrative Procedures. This information shall be provided to the District within 10 calendar days of the District’s request. The District may require the child’s parent/guardian to complete an Affidavit Verifying Homelessness and the individual who owns the residence where the child and the parent(s)/guardian(s) are residing to complete a Homeless Verification Affidavit.

Whenever a child and his/her parent/guardian who initially share the housing of another person due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar hardship continue to share the housing, the District may, after the passage of 18 months and annually thereafter, conduct a review as to whether such hardship continues to exist.

The District may, at the time of review, request information from the parent or guardian to reasonably establish the hardship, and sworn affidavits or declarations may be sought and provided. If, upon review, the District determines that the family no longer suffers such hardship, it may notify the family in writing and begin the process of dispute resolution as set forth below. Any change required as a result of this review and determination shall be effective solely at the close of the school year.

Transportation of Homeless Students
If a homeless student continues to live in the area where the school of origin is located, upon the request of the parent or guardian (or in the case of an unaccompanied youth, the liaison), the District shall transport a student to and from school. If a homeless child, formerly attending school in the District but currently living in the attendance area of another school district, elects to attend school in the District as the “school of origin,” the student’s parents also may request that transportation be provided between the student’s residence and the school of origin. The District shall work with the school district in which the homeless child is currently living to apportion responsibility for transporting the homeless child to and from school, subject to paragraph 2 below. If the districts are unable to reach an agreement on the child’s transportation, the responsibility and costs for such transportation will be shared equally by the districts.

If a homeless child, formerly attending school in the District but currently living in the attendance area of another school district, elects to attend school in the District as the “school of origin,” the District or the student’s parents/guardian may request a meeting of the school principal or designee, a teacher of the student, and the parents/guardian, to evaluate whether travel to and from the District is in the best interest of the student and the student’s family. Such a meeting shall be required if travel to school will be greater than one (1) hour each way. If the child is eligible for special education services, every effort shall be made by the District to avoid a travel time of greater than one (1) hour each way.

Homeless Liaison
The District’s Homeless Liaison is Tracy Roehrick and may be contacted at 847-234-9400 or e-mail Tracy Roehrick. The following are the responsibilities of the Homeless Liaison:

Ensure that homeless children and youths are identified by school personnel and through coordination activities with other entities and agencies;
Ensure that homeless children and youths enroll in, and have a full and equal opportunity to succeed in, schools of the District;
Ensure that homeless families, children, and youths receive educational services for which such families, children, and youths are eligible, including any Head Start and Even Start programs and preschool programs administered by the District, and referrals to health care services, dental services, mental health services, and other appropriate services;
Ensure that the parents or guardians of homeless children and youths 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 public notice of the educational rights of homeless children are youths is disseminated where such children and youths receive services under this Act, such as schools, family shelters, and soup kitchens;
Ensure the proper mediation of enrollment disputes; and
Ensure that the parent or guardian of a homeless child or youth, and any unaccompanied youth, is fully informed of all transportation services, including transportation to the school of origin, and is assisted in accessing transportation to the school.

Homeless Appeals Procedures
In the event that the District denies enrollment to a homeless student as defined herein, the parent/guardian of the child may appeal the decision to the Homeless Liaison, who is responsible for carrying out dispute resolution. The Homeless Liaison shall immediately refer the child or parent/guardian to the ombudsperson for homeless children appointed by the Regional Superintendent of Schools and provide the child and his/her parent/guardian with a written statement of the basis for the denial. The child shall be admitted and transported to the school chosen by the parent/guardian until final resolution of the dispute. The ombudsperson shall convene a meeting of all parties and attempt to resolve the dispute within five (5) school days after receiving notice of the dispute, if possible.