Can A Runaway Attend School?

[Guest]

i’m 15 and will be turning 16 on june 2 , i want to leave and be with my biological parents not adopted if i run away , how will i be able to attend a new school?

[ccsmod1]

Hey there,

Thanks so much for contacting us, it takes a lot of courage to reach out and share your story. It must be really hard to live in a home with so much tension. Running away is a big decision and it can be very stressful to figure out what you want to do.

We aren’t legal experts here at NRS, but generally speaking, if you do opt to leave your home your legal guardians can file a runaway report, which is essentially a missing person report. Running away is a status offense; this means that it isn’t illegal, but it’s something you can’t do while still a minor. If a runaway report is filed and you are located by the authorities you will most likely be returned to your guardians.

If you do opt to leave home or find yourself to be homeless you still have the right to your education under what’s called the McKinney-Vento Act. This act guarantees you the right to stay in your original school and be provided transportation to and from school (to the extent possible), enrollment in a school in your area, receive free school meals and to receive services like educational supports and basic needs. To find out more about how to take advantage of the McKinney-Vento act we suggest calling your school directly.

If you’d like to go over what’s going on in depth, or if you’d like to explore other options that you may have available to you, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. You can also chat us by clicking on the “CHAT” button on top of our homepage. We’re open 24/7 and here to listen and support you in any way we can.

All the best,
NRS

[Guest]

hello, i am 17 i’m turning 18 in 6 more months and i’m wondering if i can run away from home and if i can still attend school when i do. can i also drop out at 18 if i have to have them register me for school

[ccsmod6]

Hello and thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. While we are not legal experts, we do have a great deal of experience working with runaways. It is our understanding that as long as you are considered a minor in your state (>18 in every state), then your parents are entitled to file a runaway report with the police if you leave home without their permission. It is not illegal to run away and you will not get into trouble with the police for doing so, but the police are usually allowed to notify your guardian and return you home if they encounter you while such a report exists.

However, in some areas the police do not pursue runaway reports on 17 year olds because they are so close to the age of 18. We cannot guarantee that this will happen or even say there is a high chance that it will happen but it is a possibility. If you do choose to run away and the police come to where you are. It could be worth it to attempt to calmly and respectfully decline them consent to take you anywhere and inform them that you are in a safe place where you are. If it seems like the officers are going to physically force you to return home, it would probably be the safest option to comply with their requests, but in some cases we have heard of police not forcing the youth to return home.

Depending on what state you are in, the age you are permitted to drop out of school is between 16 and 18, so your best bet in terms of finding out if you can drop out is looking up what your state’s rules are. As a runaway youth, your rights to an education are still protected by the McKinney Vento Act and you can still attend school. If you want to know more about enrolling in school as a runaway, please visit https://nche.ed.gov/.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to call us on our 24/7 hotline 1-800-786-2929 or chat us at 1800runaway.org.

Take care,
NRS

[Guest]

I'm thinking about running away from home with a few friends after I turn 13. I'm not sure what will happen to my education when I leave though, because I'm hopefully not going to return home.

[ccsmod1]

Hey there,

Thanks so much for contacting us, it takes a lot of courage to reach out and share your story. Running away is a big decision and it can be very stressful to figure out what you want to do. It’s important to consider all the possibilities that can occur if you leave home. You will need to plan out how you will cover basic necessities like travel, food, clothing, etc. If you have a place to go in mind, it’s good to see what the expectations of the living arrangement will be like; rules, the amount of time you’re allowed to stay, if you’re expected to contribute financially, etc. Living on your own can also bring about many safety risks. You will need to consider ways that you can protect yourself from physical harm as well as the possibility of exploitation. This can all influence your decision to leave.

If you do opt to leave home or find yourself to be homeless you still have the right to your education under what’s called the McKinney-Vento act. This act guarantees you the right to stay in your original school and be provided transportation to and from school (to the extent possible), enrollment in a school in your area, receive free school meals and to receive services like educational supports and basic needs. To find out more about how to take advantage of the McKinney-Vento act we suggest calling your school directly.

If you’d like to go over what’s going on in depth, or if you’d like to explore other options that you may have available to you, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. You can also chat us by clicking on the “CHAT” button on top of our homepage. We’re open 24/7 and here to listen and support you in any way we can.

Stay safe,
NRS

[Guest]

if I run away from Washington an go to colarado am I able to stay in calarsdo even if my parents called the police ?

[ccsmod3]

Thank you for reaching out to us. It sounds like you have some questions about running away and the consequences of that. We are not legal experts but if you were to decide to run away and travel to a different state. If your parents filed a runaway report on you and the police located you wherever you were they would more than likely just return you home. If you want to get specific information based on the city that you reside in you can contact your local nonemergency number and ask hypothetical information about running away. If you have any other questions or concerns feel free to give us a call at 1800-Runaway. Best of luck!

[Guest]

hello im 15, I ran away from home and am at a safe friend's house, I ran away because my mother and older brother are very abusive and I didn't want to be there no longer, I contacted the child social services and i told them about my situation and they told me since I dont have proof of getting hit or something and with bruises and marks that the judge wont find it urgent. Mental abuse is a real thing and its as if its not urgent to them. So I ran off and am at a friend's house I'm aware my mother filed a police report on me so does that mean when I'm 16 I cant get a job if I'm not back home ? If I contact my mother she will want to take me home and her and my older brother will beat me because I ran away. What will police do if they find me ? I'm just so scared of going home i dont know what to do. All the resources such as shelters require me to contact my mother and i don't want that because she'll come to me and take me home I dont want to go home, I don't want to go home.

[ccsmod15]

Hello, thank you for reaching out! We understand you are going through a tough time right now, and we are here to help.

To begin with, you stated that there is mental abuse going on in the home, and it’s driven you to run away. We want you to know that no one should have to endure any abuse, whether that be: physical, emotional, or mental. You’re really brave for contacting child protective services, and we’re sorry you feel like they couldn’t intervene. An option to explore would be to reach out to the National Child Abuse hotline at 1800) 422-4453. They may be able to connect you with other liable sources to help you report the type of abuse going on in your home. You may also want to explore reaching out to your local school counselor, they may be able to assist. Your school counselor may attempt to once more reach out to Child protective services, being a counselor, they may get your situation across another way.

Furthermore, you explained that your situation at home made you runaway, and are currently somewhere safe. With that being said, we’re glad that you find yourself in a protected location, and are exploring options on how to go about it in the next steps. We aren’t legal experts, but if your legal guardian has filed a runaway report with the authorities, whoever you are staying with, may face some consequences for harboring a runaway. Since you’re a minor, your legal guardian is responsible for your safety at all times, and some shelters, as how you previously mentioned, may not take you in without your parent’s consent. An option to look into may be to contact any other family member that you have, and let them in on the situation. They may be able to assist you on how to talk to your guardian if you were to go back home.

Lastly, you expressed that if you were to contact your mom, she would take you back home and physically hurt you. This may be hard for you to face, but an option to dive into would be to contact your local authorities. It may feel complicated to reach out to your local authorities, especially if child protective services didn’t provide you with the answer you were looking for, but the police might guide you otherwise. You situation is a very scary one to be in, but you are not alone. For whatever reason you ever feel unsafe, you may text the word safe and your current location to 44357. The National Safe Place would text you the nearest safe place around you, and guide you through their process.

Thank you once again for reaching out. You’re really brave to be going through what you are facing in front of you, and you are not alone. If any other current situation were to arise, please feel free to contact us anytime at 1800) 786-2929. Best of luck!

[Guest]

I’m 14 soon turning 15 in February
I want to run away and I have safe homes where I could live for the moment safe homes with parent supervision but I want to know is that if I get caught will they send me back to the center cuz last year I’ve been staying at like a center for kids but not for the same reasons anyways please help me I just want to know what will be the consequences

[ccsmod8]

Hello there –

Thank you for reaching out to us here on our public forum. Hopefully you have taken the opportunity to explore the responses on this thread to see if they can help you. It is our thought by helping you during your crisis, that there are others out there going through the same situation can look at this thread and find the answers that they need as well. Of course if you need additional support you are more than welcome to reach out to us via our online chat or our 24/7 hotline.

After reading through your post there’s some missing holes that might be needed in order to give you a full compete answer. But based on what you have told us about your situation it seems like you might be in the custody of the state since you have been placed in this youth center for the past year or so. It is to our understanding that when a youth runs away from home or any placement and are found, they would be brought to where they are supposed to be (ie. back to the center). So if you are in the care of this center and leave without permission, your case worker would be required to file a report to alert local law enforcement that you are missing. Which in turn will show up if you were to get picked up.

It’s hard to talk to just anyone one about what has been going on. Please rest assured that we are completing confidential. So anything that you share with us will stay between us. We might also be able to look in our database to see if there were any youth shelters or safe places that you might be able to go to if you need some local support.

Best of luck and we hope that if you need more support that you reach out to us here.

[Guest]

Is it legal for police dept to give info to the school if it had nothing to do with school, except a unexcused absence

[ccsmod3]

Hello and thanks for posting on our forum. If you’ve had a chance to browse through some of our other posts, you may have read we are not legal experts. However, the answer to your question might also depend on whether or not the school has a safety officer who works with the local police department. We would be happy to talk further about this situation and encourage you to try out our Live Chat to have a one on one conversation. Link to get started with our Live Chat: https://m2.icarol.com/ConsumerRegist...d=254&cc=en-US

We hope this helps and wish you the best of luck!

-NRS

[Guest]

I'm 14 years old, and turning 15 in April. I've been getting in trouble at school lately and I feel like I'm really disappointing parents. I want to runaway until I can enroll in the military, but I still want to go to school. Any advice?

[ccsmod2]

Hello there,
Thank you so much for reaching out to The National Runaway Safeline, we are here to help and here to listen. It sounds like you are going through a really difficult situation right now. One option to consider is talking about what is going on with your parents. By talking to them they may have a better understanding on how to help you and understand what is going on at school. Another option may be to talk with your school counselor about what is going on. Sometimes talking with a professional can help you feel better.
We are not legal experts but we do have general information on the laws. If you were to leave home without permission your legal guardian does have the right to file a runaway report. If the police were to find you they most likely would bring you back home. You may want to consider waiting until you are of legal age to leave home.
We hope this information will be helpful to you in your situation. If you have any other questions or would like to explore more options please give us a call. We are here 24/7 to listen and provide support to you. Best of luck!
NRS

[Guest]

I'm 17, my parents overwhelmed me and stressed me out to the point
that I just left. I'll be 18 in a month and so far running away has been the best decision I have ever made. I'm facing a few issues though. Mainly just questions I want answered. First off I'm a senior in high school and I really want to get my diploma. I can't go to school because I'd get caught. My parents have police after me so if I showed up they'd probably force me home. So my question here is how should I go about getting my diploma? Also once I turn 18 no one should be looking for me any more right? I feel like if I could just make it to 18 I would be fine. Am I right about this or could they still try to take me home

[ccsmod4]

Hello,
Thank you for writing to us here at the National Runaway Safeline.

We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. In most states the age of majority is 18 and you are then considered an adult and independent of your parent’s. To get information on continuing to get a H.S. Diploma or G.E.D. you might consider looking online for resources for continuing education in your area.

We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by email or bulletin for assistance. If you would like to talk more in detail and share more about how we can help specifically, please call or chat soon.

Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).
If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to or seek emergency assistance immediately.

Take care,
NRS

[Guest]

Hello,I'm 17 and I've been thinking of running away for a long period of time to get away from my father with my mother co parenting aside I have a job but i'm worried my boss will turn me in if my mom finds out what should I do? also is it possible that I could build my own shelter in the woods for now for I don't want them to find me and I really want to finish school but Idk if they will turn me in what should I do? I still have grade 12 to do

[ccsmod3]

Thank you for reaching out to us. It sounds like you are thinking about leaving home and what some information about what would happen if you leave. 18 years old is generally the age that an individual may leave home without permission from their parent or legal guardian. We are not legal experts here but we can speak in general terms. If you are under 18 and leave home without permission, your parent/guardian may file a runaway report with the police. What actions the police take once you are filed as a runaway can vary a lot from state to state and even city to city so we cannot predict exactly what would happen in your case. Generally speaking, if you encounter a police officer while reported as a runaway, you will likely be returned home. However, in that case there may be services (family counseling, etc.) available to you as a youth in crisis/runaway but again, police procedures related to offering those services can be different based on your location or the details of your situation. Another thing to consider is that while running away is not a crime, a legal adult who allows you to stay with them may be putting themselves at risk for being charged with harboring a runaway. One way to find out the laws in your area is to call your local police and ask what their policies are regarding runaway youth. You know yourself and your situation best. If you need help sorting through some helpful, safe, and realistic options we’re here to provide support. As a runaway youth, your rights to an education are still protected by the McKinney Vento Act and you can still attend school. If you want to know more about enrolling in school as a runaway, please visit https://nche.ed.gov/.

Please consider reaching out by phone or chat soon. We’re free, confidential, and operate 24/7.
We wish you luck!

[Guest]

I am 16. My parents are crazy and don't understand me. Is it possible to runaway an
and still go to school and you have a peace to stay. Will the cops show up at my school? Or find out where I am stayong? Will they take me back to my crazy hellhole house or let me stay where I am if the place is okay?

[ccsmod10]

Hi there,

Thank you for writing to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS). We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. It seems there is a lot that you are faced with right now and you’re feeling like leaving is one of your only options. It seems you want to know some information on runaway laws.

While we are not experts on the law, 18 is generally the age that an individual may leave home without parent permission. If you are under 18 and leave home, your parent/guardian may file you as a runaway and you may be returned home. Also, those you stay with may run the risk of being charged with harboring a runaway. As far as school you could still go but chances are, school will be the first place they look for you. For more specifics on the law, the local non-emergency police or legal aid may better answer legal questions.

We are here as support to help through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by email to assist you. If you would like to talk more in detail please call or chat soon.

Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).
If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately.

Be safe,
NRS

[Guest]

I am 12 soon to be 13 and I’ve recently moved and I hate my new location because of mainly school because I’ve been there for about a month and haven’t made any friends so I’ve been thinking about running away back to my old town and living in a homeless shelter.But I was thinking about school and was wondering if I could go back to my old school as well as stay in a homeless/runaway shelter.(I might not do it but if I did I would like to know this)

[ccsmod4]

Hello,
Thank you for writing to us here at the National Runaway Safeline.

We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. If you were to run away and go to a youth shelter most likely they would contact your guardian (Parent) because you are a minor and would need their permission to stay there long term. The school may also seek to contact them as well.

Often moving transitions can feel awkward so we understand that it has not been easy for you. It sounds like you were comfortable at your old school and adjusting has been difficult.
The situation sounds like it has been frustrating for you. We’re glad you reached out.
Sometimes talking about a situation with someone may help to relieve stress and frustrations. NRS is here to listen and here to help. You are welcome to contact us via 1-800-Runaway (786-2929) or www.1800runaway.org and talk more about your situation.
We would be happy to listen and explore some options to make your transition easier for you.

You did really well by reaching out today.
We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Take care,
NRS

[Guest]

Hi, I’m 16 I’m going to run away today because I’m being neglected and have been dealing with mental abuse. What happens if I get reported as a run away and still show up to school? Will they call my parents and the police? In my state it’s not illegal to runaway. I still want to move on with my life just in a better living space with people who actually care about me.

[ccsmod2]

Hello There,
Thank you for reaching out to The National Runaway Safeline, we are here to help and here to listen. It sounds like you are going through a really difficult time right now. If you would like you can always make a neglect report by calling your local police department or by calling Child Help: 1800-422-4453.
We are not legal experts but we do have general information on the laws. Running away is not illegal but it is a status offense. What that means is if there is a runaway report and the police do find you they most likely would bring you back home.
We hope this information answers your questions. If you have any more questions or would like to explore options please give us a call. We are here 24/7 to listen and provide support. Best of luck!
NRS