Advocating for the Educational Rights of Homeless Children and Youth

Homeless children and youth face numerous barriers to participating, attending, and succeeding in school. This course, presented by Alexandra Santa Ana and Michael Santos of Bay Area Legal Aid, provides a broad overview of the educational rights of homeless children and youth and how lawyers can address their legal needs through the federal Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (“McKinney-Vento”) and other related federal laws. Participants will also learn how to advocate for children and youth who are disenrolled from their local schools when they get involved with the juvenile and criminal justice systems. This session explores the intersection between education, homelessness, the juvenile, and criminal justice systems, and the role lawyers can play in ensuring educational stability, particularly during the COVID-19 crisis. 

 
Learning Objectives:

1. Explore the education rights of homeless children and youth guaranteed under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, learn how this federal law is implemented on the state and local levels, and highlight common issues that legal advocates can address
2. Examine how the juvenile and criminal justice systems impact the education of homeless children and youth. 
3. Gain insight on different ways lawyers can get involved in addressing the educational needs of homeless children and youth