The start of the 2024-25 school year is quickly approaching! The first day for Chicago Public School students is Monday, August 26, 2024. Some CPS charter schools may have different start dates. All students and accompanying adults ride Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) buses and trains free on the first day of school. Suburban school districts also have different start dates throughout August.
Students experiencing homelessness have the right to enrollment, attendance and success in school. In the 2023-24 school year, CPS identified 26,800 students as experiencing homelessness, a more than 50% increase from the previous year. This record number of students is the highest ever identified. “With more families facing housing insecurity, it is crucial that students receive the necessary services and support to succeed in school,” said Alyssa Phillips, Senior Education Attorney with the Law Project of the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness .
Rights of Students Experiencing Homelessness:
- School Stability and Enrollment Rights: Students experiencing homelessness have the right to remain in the school they attended when permanently housed, the school in which they were last enrolled or to immediately enroll in their attendance area school. The first two school choices are referred to as the “school of origin.” Staying stably enrolled in the same school can help students academically, socially and emotionally. Enrollment should be immediate, even if the student lacks the usual documents required, such as proof of residency, birth certificates, medical records, or previous school records.
- Transportation: In addition to free CTA on the first day, transportation is available for students experiencing homelessness returning to their previous school and under other specific circumstances. In Chicago, transportation is generally provided through Ventra fare cards for students and parents accompanying students who are in 6th grade or younger. School bus transportation is available in cases of “hardship,” where parents are unable to accompany their children to school because of work, school, or other reasons.
- Additional Support: Every school in CPS and every district in the state has a liaison responsible for sensitively identifying and enrolling students experiencing homelessness. These liaisons connect students and families with necessary resources, including transportation, uniforms, and school fee waivers.
The Law Project provides free legal aid and advice to city and suburban families and students experiencing homelessness. This support is available if they encounter issues upon their return to school. Families in unstable living situations, including those living in shelters or doubling up in someone else’s home, are considered homeless under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
For assistance or more information, please contact the Law Project at 1 (800) 940-1119 or email Senior Education Attorney Alyssa Phillips at aphillips@chicagohomeless.org during weekday office hours, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
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