Can I run away and still go to school?

[ccsmod3]

Hi, thank you for reaching out. It sounds like both you and your friends are experiencing physical and mental abuse, you never deserve to be treated this way. Running away is a status offense, meaning it is only illegal because you are considered a minor. What could happen is your parents/guardians could file a runaway report with the police and if you are found, you would likely be brought back home. Another option is reporting the abuse you are experiencing to Child Protective Services. We can help with that or any adult that you trust can help with that reporting process. If you would like to talk more about what you are going through or some other possible options to help, please either call our hotline 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or chat us online at 1800runaway.org. We hope to hear from you soon.
Be safe,
NRS

hi, me and my friend are wanting to run away, my friend is going through physical and mental abuse, same with me. we are both 13. If there is anyway that we could get legally in trouble we need to know, can you please give us some advice on what our next step should be.

[ccsmod5]

Hey there,
Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. We are glad that you are reaching out for help. We are sorry to hear that your foster home isn’t a place where you feel supported to be a teenager in the way that you wish.

You ask very good questions. Although we are not legal experts here at NRS, we can do our best to offer some suggestions about your question of leaving home before turning 18 years old (which is often the age of becoming a “legal” adult in most states). Often times, it depends upon the school system and their policies with youth that are no longer living at their legal guardian’s home. One idea to consider is asking the school you wish to attend and ask how they handle situations as such. If you are not comfortable with that, perhaps have a friend or even call out to us (1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929)) and we could call out with you present on the line to hear what their policy is.

If you wish to complete your GED, although we are not entirely sure, likely once you turn 18 years old, you will be able to apply and complete you GED without hassle. Again, always a good idea to call a few programs or do a quick online search and email with questions about how the application and background check (if there is one) works.

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 forum 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

Hi I’m 17 and I’m in foster care my caseworker says I won’t be able to go home to my family and they got me living in a group that doesn’t allow me to experience life as a teenager if I ran away would I still be able to do online school or even GED

[ccsmod15]

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. 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

I like my parents and all, but they treat me horribly. I really want to run away, find somewhere to be, maybe go to my grandmas house until I turn 18. I am 13, and that worries me about school. Because if I'm gone, and let's just say I don't go to anyone's house, what will happen to my parents. What if I run to far from home, and there is no way for me to go to school? Because I have to go to school, but what will happen to my parents? Will they call me out of school and say I ran away, will they get in trouble? Will they be thrown in jail? Even though they don't treat me the nicest, I still don't want them in jail. And what will happen to my future, will my life just be horrible, because I left in middle school? I don't want my to be trash.

[ccsmod3]

Hi there, thank you for reaching out. It sounds like you are wanting to leave your house especially after your family just had another baby and it seems like that is making you have more responsibilities. We definitely do not want you to hurt yourself or anyone else and you do not deserve to be verbally or mentally abused in any way. The best way to be able to stay somewhere else is with your parents’ permission. Another option since you are 16 could be emancipation as it seems like you already have your own income as well. We do want you to know that can be a bit of a process, but we can provide a legal aid resource that can walk you through what those steps look like. One resource is lawhelp.org. If you would like additional resources or want to discuss this further, please call our hotline 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or chat us online at 1800runaway.org. We hope to hear from you soon.
Be safe,
NRS

hi im 16, i have a job and a a car, and want to run away, im pretty sure i have someone i can live with, if his parents are cool with it, my faily h=just ahd a a baby that changed everything now im just a slave that gets labled as a son, i still want to finish high school since im a junior right now, but i cant stay much longer, ill either hurt somone or ill hurt myself, i dont get physically abused because to do that to me is a death wish, but i get verbally and mentally abused, and just fro wanting to jo the molitaru i was threathened to get kicked out my house. i would realy like t finish school to get my diploma, but once november rolls around im out no matter what happens, is there any way i can finish junior and senior year while being a runaway? because ill have my own income, transportation, i can sleep in my car, and potentially have a person to stay with

[ccsmod3]

Hi there, thank you for reaching out. It sounds like you have always thought about running away and it seems like your dad is acting like he doesn’t care. If your dad drops you off at a friend’s house and gives you permission to stay there, then technically it is not considered running away and you would still be able to go to school. The issue with that is your dad can change his mind and take back that permission at any time and ask that you come back home. If you want to discuss this further with us, please call our hotline 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or chat us online at 1800runaway.org. We hope to hear from you soon.
Be safe,
NRS

Hi, im 12 years old and I've been thinking about running away from home. I've always played about running away and my parents seem not to care I made a "fake run away bag" and my dad said if you want to run away just tell me where to drop you off can I still go to school and stay at my friend's house?

[ccsmod15]

Hi Renata,

Thank you for reaching out to NRS. It sounds like you’re going through a lot right now! You deserve to be loved and care for- NOT to be abused in any way! We are here to help and support you in the best way that we can!

Unfortunately, it can be challenging to run away as a minor (under the age of 1. In most states, if your legal guardian reports you as a runaway, you could be taken back home by law enforcement.

There are a few options that you might want to consider looking into. Since you are experiencing abuse- you can report this abuse to Child Protective Services (CPS). If you feel uncomfortable making a report on your own, you can ask a trusted adult at your school to help you or you can call our hotline number 1-800-786-2929 and we can help you make the report.

Another resource that might be helpful to you is ChildHelp.org. Child Help can provide support for you and can also provide more information on reporting abuse. They are available at their website via chat https://www.childhelp.org/ or you can call their hotline number at 1-800-422-4453.

We are also available at NRS 24/7 via calls, chats, and email. Please do not hesitate to reach out for further support and planning! We are here for you!

Hi, I'm Renata. I'm sixteen and have been preparing to run away this summer, but I have no idea where I'd go after I leave. My family is destroying me, I was sexually assaulted by my mother's husband, and the emotional, mental, and verbal abuse is tearing me apart. They've torn me away from my biological father, who is the only person who I feel has created a safe space for me. This has been going on for as long as I remember. My girlfriend (who moved states two years ago) and I have been planning to meet each other halfway, and help each other escape from our households. I'm going to an alternative school, as I dropped out last year due to serious mental health decline from abuse. Things are not going well within that school either, I'm surrounded by drugs which I've constantly fallen victim to and I'm acting out in ways I never have before and I'm just not me anymore... Staying with friends is not an option, I don't want to take any chances going back to my household, I'll be treated 10 times worse. I'm more scared than anything. I'd just like to be happy with my girlfriend, but I'm just not sure how to go about it. Will I be able to enroll in any colleges or finish high school once I'm 18? Will I actually be able to restart my life without my parents? And how do I survive two years of being a runaway? I'm planning ahead, but I know I'll need assistance from more than just her. Please help me, thank you so much for providing a safe space for other kids just like me.

[ccsmod15]

Hi there,

Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline (NRS). We understand it can be difficult to deal with these feelings by yourself and we're glad you reached out. We want you to know that you deserve to be loved and accepted for the way you are. We can see how this situation has affected you and your sense of identity. Please know that you should not be treated like that and it is their fault, not yours. It will get better and your life is worth living. Please don’t give up because of who your parents are; there are people in the world who will love you for who you are.

One resource that may be helpful to you is The Trevor Project, he world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth. If you are ever experiencing suicidal thoughts again, you can chat or call someone from their website here: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/. You can also interact and talk to other youth who may be going through similar situations. If you would like to file an abuse report against your parents, we can certainly help you do so as well. As for running away, there is unlikely to be any legal consequences, however, going to school may pose a greater challenge. If your parents file a runaway report and the police find where you are, they can take you back to them. One option you might think about is getting emancipated if you want to break off legal ties to your biological family. We are happy to look for legal aid resources near you that may be able to help in that process.

If you would like to talk more about your situation, explore possible options, or find certain resources, we are here. NRS is unable to respond more than twice by email or bulletin for assistance, so if you would like to talk more, 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.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Be safe and take care,
NRS

hi, i am Gender non affirming and my parents, if you could even call them that. are forcing me to look and act how they want. this is not the first time and i have a good reason to beleive that i have been emotionaly and mentally abused throughout my childhood and most of my teenage years. I was always told to grow up and tough everything out because i was born male and when i was 13 years old, i came out as non binary to my few friends and ever since then i have been trying to grow my hair out and they have forced me to cut it multiple times, and this time i received multiple threats of physical violence if i didnt cut it down to how they wanted it i had my hair grown out for around 7-8 months worth so it was long, but my parents are LGBTQ+phobic, racist, and sexist i have been thinking about running away and living with one of my friends for the rest of my teenage years. i was wondering if that would be possible and if i would be allowed to still go to school and have a semi normal life outside of my biological parents house. not only do i not feel safe here, i have considered suicide multiple times in the past hour. i do not wish to live with them anymore and i want to have a better life

[ccsmod10]

Hi, it's good that you're reaching out for help and planning things through. If you decide you need to run away, it can be good to plan out where you will live and how you will provide for yourself first. A family member or friend you can stay with can be a good place to start, or a youth shelter (we can look one up in your area if you provide some geographic info). You should know that if you run away and stay at any of these places, your parents/legal guardians can file a runaway report, and police would investigate where you are; if you were found you would likely be returned home and the people housing you could potentially get in legal trouble.

If you want to enroll yourself in school after running away, you might need to provide proof of your age (birth certificate, state ID, or passport), proof of residence at the address you live at, or proof of previous vaccinations.

It can be helpful to talk through your plan before running away-- if you want to do so with us, you can live chat us (1800runway.org) or call us (1-800-RUNAWAY) any time, 24/7.

Stay safe,
National Runaway Safeline