Displaced families have many school choices

If you have relocated because of the fires, either permanently due to housing loss, or temporarily due to evacuation, you and your children have a choice about what school to attend, once schools open again.
A statement released by the Sonoma County Office of Education explains that if you have uncertain housing, a temporary address or no permanent physical address, due to either housing loss or evacuation from the firestorm, you have two options for school attendance.
“Per federal law, every student who has lost his or her home due to the disaster has the right to enroll in the school district in which they are temporarily housed. If they have had to move out of the county, this applies anywhere in the state,” the statement said. “This does not guarantee admittance into a specific school within the district, however. Districts will determine the school based on many factors, including available space.”
According to Jamie Hansen, a communications specialist for SCOE, a displaced student can also remain in the school s/he was attending before the disaster.
This enrollment policy extends to any public school, including charter schools and Basic Aid districts. Parents can enroll a child without the documents normally required, such as proof of residency, immunization or health records, school records or proof of legal guardianship.
Your child will be able to participate in all activities, receive transportation if requested and qualify for school nutrition programs.
Perhaps most important for children already facing the stress of displacement, it also means they can continue to attend their previous school, even if they no longer live in that district.
“The policy is a federal one that is always in place,” Hansen said in an email. “It applies to any student qualifying as homeless. It’s just that now we have way more students qualifying as homeless all of a sudden.”
Students will qualify for these choices as long as they are designated as homeless, according to Hansen.
It’s not just students that are displaced. Hansen said at least 150 school staff members lost their homes countywide, “but that number will definitely increase as districts learn more,” she said. “Some districts haven’t reported their numbers to us yet at all.”
SCOE has a full page of information and resource links on its website for displaced or homeless families at: www.scoe.org/pub/
htdocs/homeless-resources.html. They are also scrambling their Crisis Assessment Prevention and Education team, first to the hardest hit districts.
According to SCOE, schools opening this week have completed a mandatory process to make their facilities are safe for children. This includes cleaning and replacing air filters, as well as cleaning surfaces that students will come into contact with, such as desks and playgrounds.
If the air quality is bad, districts will keep students inside. In some cases, schools will be open to staff only for planning purposes and will be open to students at a later date, so check with your individual district for more information.