Schools would enroll and transport students experiencing homelessness in Michigan

Public schools would immediately enroll students experiencing homelessness and help obtain missing records. The protections cover children and youth without a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime home. Missing enrollment documents would not delay enrollment in the selected school. During disputes and appeals, students would attend the eligible school they seek and receive transportation under the bill's rules. For disputes, an eligible school is a public school that other students living in the same attendance area may attend. Schools would immediately request records from the former school and refer parents or guardians for help obtaining needed immunizations or medical records.

School agencies would choose a school based on the student's needs and give priority to the family's or unaccompanied youth's request. Students would stay in their previous school or attend an eligible public school where they currently live. Agencies would favor the previous school unless that conflicts with the parent's, legal guardian's, or unaccompanied youth's request. They would consider the student's needs, safety, and commute. Choosing a school other than the previous school or the requested school would require an understandable written explanation and notice of appeal rights. A placement in the previous school would last throughout homelessness and through the remainder of the academic year when the student becomes permanently housed.

School agencies would provide requested transportation to and from the student's school of origin, meaning their previous school or public early childhood program. The school of origin is the school or public early childhood program attended when permanently housed or last enrolled, including its designated receiving school for the next grade. Unaccompanied youth are students experiencing homelessness outside a parent's or guardian's physical custody. A parent, legal guardian, or unaccompanied youth would need to request rides to the school of origin. Agencies would help with rides to extracurricular and early childhood programs when lack of transportation prevents participation. When a student lives outside the original agency's area, the two agencies would agree on sharing transportation responsibility and costs. If they cannot agree, they would share responsibility and actual costs equally. Requested rides would continue while the student attends that school and remains homeless, or through the end of the current school year when the student becomes permanently housed.

School agencies would assign a staff contact, review barriers to school access, report student data, and train staff. These duties apply to school districts, intermediate school districts, and public school academies. Agencies would ensure that housing-related barriers, such as missing records or unpaid fees, do not block access to services available to other students. They would set aside money as needed under the cited federal education funding rule, based on student needs. The state education department would collect data, coordinate services, help school agencies meet the requirements, and monitor compliance. Agencies would assess student needs annually and train school staff at least once each year.