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I am 16 years old and ran away from my moms house. I did find stable housing but I want to continue my education
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Hey there,
Thanks so much for reaching out to us, we know it takes a lot of courage to share your story. It's great to hear that you're interested in continuing on with your education! Having your high school diploma (or GED certificate) can certainly expand the opportunities that can be available to you.
Under the McKinney-Vento Act, you are guaranteed the right to:
-Remain in your school of origin (if possible)
-Transportation to and from your school of origin (if possible)
-Immediate enrollment in a new school, regardless of if you have the normally required documents
-Receive free school meals
-Receive services like educational support, school counseling, etc.
You can learn more about the McKinney-Vento Act and find your local liaison by going to: https://nche.ed.gov/data/
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
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I’m 18 and I really want to go back to school. How do I re-enroll?Comment
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Hey there,
Thanks so much for reaching out to us, we know it takes a lot of courage to share your story. Since you are considered a legal adult you should be able to enroll yourself in school with no issues. Additionally, you may qualify for educational assistance under the McKinney-Vento Act. If you qualify, this act would guarantee 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
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hi im 16 and im miserable in my home and scared for my well being. I decided i want to run away, i have no idea what or how i can make this work and i dont want to end up homeless because of this, is there any type of program or way i can leave home and get help with getting a place to stay, a secure job, and schooling, or any advice to do this myself. I dont have any options.Comment
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Hi,
We’re really glad that you have reached out to us. It sounds like you are in a really tough situation. It’s very brave of you to reach out for help. It sounds like you are having a difficult time at home and we want to do our best to help support you in finding a safe option. If you feel like you are being abused you can reach out to ChildHelp (National Child Abuse Hotline) at 1-800-799-7233 or their website childhelp.org. If you are feeling unsafe and need to somewhere safe to go, you can reach out to National Safe Place by texting 44357 and saying SAFE and your location. Again, we want to help support you during this difficult time. If you would like to talk through different options or want more resources in your area, we are available to talk or chat 24/7.
In order for us to best support you, we recommend that you call us at 1-800-786-2929 or use our chat service from our website www.18000runaway.org. Once again, we are a confidential, 24 hour crisis hotline and are here to support you.
Take care,
NRS
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Hello, I am a 14 girl that's planning on running away in a couple months. My question is as a 14 year old, how can I enroll myself in to school!? Will they tell my parents where I'm at!? Will they rapport me to the cops!? Hopefully y'all answer fast!!! Thank you!Comment
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Hey 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.
Some important things you should consider is where you will stay, how you will support yourself and how you will get around. In regard to you enrolling, no you would not be able to enroll yourself as a minor. There is also a chance they could call the cops and have them return you home.
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
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i’m 16 and i left my dads house who lives in oregon, he molested me. he has full custody. i can enroll into school by myself but i’m scared he will find me. he made a runaway report. i’m currently in washington.Comment
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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 sounds like you’re quite overwhelmed by things at home right now and you mentioned being harmed. We’re sorry you’re going through this. You don't deserve to be hurt in any way. If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately. You may also be able to report any mistreatment to CPS. Child Help USA 1-800-422-4453 www.childhelp.org is an organization that helps protect minors from being harmed. They can tell you more about how CPS could respond to your situation. If you ever need assistance calling out to CPS to make an abuse or neglect report please call is at 1-800-RUNAWAY. As far as school it can be difficult enrolling with out your legal guardians. You can try to contact the school and explain the situation and see what they suggest.
Often, having a safe space to share how you’re feeling may bring a variety of solutions previously not thought of. You are not alone in this. We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time.
If you would like to talk more in detail please chat soon through our website www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button) if you are unable to call in. We unfortunately cannot give advice as we are non-directive. You know your situation best
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Hi, I'm 17 and going into University this fall. My boyfriend is 15 and turns 16 in November. He grows up in an abusive family that treats him with neglect and forces him to sometime not go to school for a whole week to take car of his 2 year old brother because they don't like getting Nannys. He is trying to move out as soon as he turns 16. His brother couldn't wait until May (when he turns 16) so he ran away and is hiding out in his girlfriend's home until he's at the right age where the authorities can't legally force him to stay with his parents. We are discussing the possibility of my boyfriend moving straight in with me in my apartment at my University in Ottawa instead of going to a group home. He's going to do a 13th year at school so he doesn't have to wait till February, when the semester ends, to still pass his classes. We're wondering though on whether you'd be able to apply to a high school by yourself at 16 in that short of an amount of time or if we'd need a signature of a Parent or Guardian.Comment
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Hey there,
Thanks so much for reaching out and sharing a little bit about what’s been going on, we know that it takes a lot of courage. It sounds like your boyfriend is in a tough situation and it's so great that you are able to advocate for him. The National Runaway Safeline is located in the United States of America (USA). Our knowledge of helpful community based resources and our understanding of youth in crisis related laws is limited to the USA. It may be a good idea to reach out to a Canadian organization like Kids Help Phone by going to https://kidshelpphone.ca/.
We hope that by reaching out to a local resource, you are able to get the support you need from an organization that understands the laws and circumstances that affect youth in your country.
Be safe,
NRS
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I’m 16 years old , my mom might have put a runaway file on me but I don’t want to live with her no more how do I enroll myself in school with out the police knowingComment
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Thanks for contacting the National Runaway Safeline,
We aprreciate that you chose to ask us for help. From what it sounds like you dont
want to live at home but also know that mom has made a runaway report with the
police. Some things to keep in mind are that because you are 16 you are considered
a minor and so your parents have a right to have you home.However that does not mean
you cant run away. That isnt illegal or anything. YOu can try to speak with your
school about the McKinney Vento Act that allows homesless youth to fininsh high
school. There is no guarantee that they wont call your parent about where youre at
but it would be the best option if you wish to stay away from your parents.
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
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Hi I am 15 I'll be 16 next month and I want to run away to Kentucky. Living here I take antidepressants and I am in cousling. I need to be happy. I want to go to school. I will have a place to stay my issue is would I enroll myself into school? Or get an adult who is older than me. I want to be happy again. What do I doComment
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Hey there. Thanks for reaching out to us here at NRS. We know that it can take a lot of courage to reach out for support, and we're glad you took that step. It sounds like you're having a tough time with your current situation, which is causing you to think more about running away. Being happy is definitely important, and so is going to school at your age. We commend you for setting those goals for yourself and doing what you can to ensure you make them happen. Because you're in counseling, it might be a good idea to chat with your counselor about how you're feeling. Generally speaking, mental health professionals have a lot of tools to help their clients work toward their happiness. They can also help advocate for you if you're not currently in school but want to be, which seems important to you.
With a lot of your focus being on getting enrolled in school, it's important for you to know that if you live in the US, there is something called the McKinney-Vento Act, which makes it highly likely for you to be able to re-enroll in a new school without some of the documentation you might be required to have if a legal guardian were enrolling you, or some of the strict timelines required to enroll in school. No matter what, you deserve an education, and that's what McKinney-Vento Act strives to ensure. You can learn more about it here: https://nche.ed.gov/mckinney-vento/
If you'd like to chat over your specific situation in more detail, please feel free to reach out to us by calling 1-800-RUNAWAY or by chatting with us live at 1800runaway.org. We're available 24/7 and are always happy to listen, and to help.
Take care.
NRS
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Hi I am q 16 yr old girl and 17 in December
I realy want to move schools but my parents won't alow me I'm struggling alot at this school and was thinking if I moved I could restart make new friends start of fresh I recently lost my pop and it hits me hard I'm stressed and feel very down alot and unenergetic but i realy wanna go to school the school ive been going to is usless the teachers don't help the students there don't listen and i have no saport i tried explaining it to my parents but it's not working they still want me going there but in my mind why should i go to a school I don't feel comftorble in so what I was wondering is am I aloud to enrol myself into a diffrent high school without parent permission .Comment
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Hey there. Thanks for reaching out to us here at NRS. We know that it can take a lot of courage to reach out for support, and we're glad you took that step. It sounds like you've been having a tough time lately, and we're sorry to hear about your pop. It makes sense that you're feeling stressed and down a lot with everything that you're going through, though it's definitely important to pay attention to those feelings as well. If you continue to feel that way, it might be a good idea to try and talk with someone you can trust and open up to, like a therapist or social worker. They have the tools and resources to help you work through some of what you're experiencing, and you might find that you start to feel a little better with that support in place.
In terms of switching schools, it's generally not something you can do without permission from your parents. While there are ways to make school accessible for everyone and that sometimes allows minors to enroll themselves, doing so is for minors who are homeless or don't have a stable home. It doesn't sound like this applies to you, so figuring out how to work through your frustrations with your current school or another way to switch schools with parental consent are probably your primary options here. Again, talking to a therapist or social worker might be helpful to you in this situation as well. It's clear that you're feeling unsupported, and talking to a professional is a great way to find that support you're looking for. If you'd like to chat more or for us to try and find a local therapist for you, please feel free to reach out to us by phone at 1-800-RUNAWAY or by chat at www.1800runaway.org. We're available 24/7 and are always happy to listen, and to help. You can also reach out to your school social worker or counselor as well.
Take care.
NRS
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I'm 14 and I think I might want to run away, but the only reason I haven't yet is because I'm not sure what I'll do about my education. Is there any way I can enroll myself into school?Comment
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Hello there -
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline on our public forum. We are always here to listen and here to help in any way that we can. It can be very frustrating not knowing what to do or what your next step might be from this point on. If you can, please read through these past threads to make sure that someone else hasn't posted something similar that might be able to help.
As far as school goes, we aren’t experts by any means but it is to our understanding that an 18 year olds can enroll themselves into a school of their choosing as long as the school accepts their application. You might want to reach out to the school that you have in mind, as well as your current school to figure out how the process of transferring school documents will work and what you have to do. That is the only way to know for sure if you can or cannot do it alone. Most minors can't enroll in school without a guardian as far as we know.
We hope that helps!
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I'm a fourteen- soon turning fifteen year old teen. I've been wanting to run away for a while now, and I have my situation planned out. I still wish to attend school and I'm not sure how to enroll. My life has been miserable for the past two years and I don't feel like I belong. I try not to think dark thoughts, buts it's kind of hard when the only person who understands you is your ex-enemy. Am I to young to run? I know I am making a rash decision but I have been planning this for the past year or two, and I would really like some advise.
From,
-Hiding in the shadows-Comment
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Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. We are sorry to hear about your tough situation and hope to help in the best way we can.
It is hard to feel like you do not belong. We hope that you will be able to find a place and a community in which you do belong. We are always here to help you navigate running away if you feel this decision is best for you. We encourage you to reach out to us at any time at 1-800-RUN-AWAY. There is no right or wrong age to run away: you will have to make the decision that is best for you in this moment. As far as enrolling in school, you might find it useful to reach out to the National Homeless Education Hotline to figure out how you can independently enroll in school. They can be reached at 1-800-308-2145.
We hope you find this information useful, and that you are able to find some peace soon. We are always here if you need us.
Sincerely,
NRS
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Hi I’m 16 and will be 17 in a couple of months. I want to run away because I am emotionally abused and depressed in the household I am in right now with my mom and my step dad. I want to run away to another family members house who will take care of me. Can I still enroll in school by myself. And what will the police do. I’m really scared that the police will take me back to my house. I don’t want my family em ever to be charged with anything either and I know my mom will file a missing persons report.Comment
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Hi there,
We’re glad you reached out, we understand how difficult it can be sometimes. We hope to help as best we can! 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. Usually, if you are under the age of 18, only a legal guardian can begin the enrolling process for school. A minor is not typically allowed to enroll themselves.
If you might be interested in finding out about having that other family member become a legal guardian, we can provide legal aid who might be able to better help with the legal side of things.
Please don’t hesitate to chat with us or give us a call, we hope this helps!
Stay safe,
NRSLast edited by ccsmod5; 02-23-2021, 04:01 AM.
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Hey. I’m 15 and I decided to run away because everyone keeps kicking me out their house when they are tired of me and I can’t deal anymore. I’m trying to get emancipated but in order to do that I have to prove I can get enrolled in school without parental concent. How can I do this ?Comment
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Hi there. Thanks for reaching out to NRS, it sounds like you are in a really tough situation and it’s really brave of you to reach out for help.
If you need a safe place to stay, you can reach out to National Safe Place at 1-888-290-7233 or www.nationalsafeplace.org and they will be able to tell you where to go in your community for shelter, and might even be able to help you get transportation there.
As far as emancipation, the rules for this are different for each state. We can help you find the specific guidelines for your sate if you reach out to us by phone or chat! Our hotline number is 1-800-RUNAWAY and you can chat us by going to www.1800runaway.org and clicking on the chat button. That way we can get more specifics about your situation and help you understand the guidelines!
Thanks again for reaching out, and we hope to hear from you soon! Be safe.
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hi im 16 years old and im wanting to runaway with my sister, but we both want to enroll ourselves into another school without our parents, if we are not reported missing can we enroll into another school, if so how?Comment
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Hi there,
Thank you for reaching out to us here at NRS. It sounds like you are in a tough spot at home and are considering your options for leaving. While we are not legal experts, we can provide a general sense of runaway laws and the process of enrolling in school as an unaccompanied minor. 18 is usually the age you are able to leave home without permission from your parents. If you leave as a minor, your parents can report you as a runaway to the police. Running away is not illegal, but it is a status offense. This means the police can return you home if you are found.
You mentioned wanting to know more about enrolling in school without your parents consent. Sometimes it is possible to enroll in school without a legal guardian through the McKinney Vento Act. This protects every young person's right to an education regardless of current housing situation. We can't say with 100% confidence if you would or would not be able to enroll since policies can often vary by state, county, and school district. Each school has a designated McKinney Vento Liaison who assists minors with continuing their education and staying enrolled in school and they would be able to provide more information on school enrollment. You can go to https://nche.ed.gov/ to find your local liaison.
We are available 24/7 for immediate support if you would like to talk more about your situation and explore your possible options.
Be safe,
NRS
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Hi im 17 about to be 18 in less then 7 months. I runaway from home. I have ran away before die to the fact that the family that i was living wit were emotionally abusive and affect my mental stability and neglect my needs for emotional support. The reason why i decide to leave was because the day before i left my stepdads father and i got into a argument due to something my sister cause which lead to me being involved. And he basically told me to leave, and then was going to call the cops on me bc i ''shoved'' my mom when she had falsely claimed that his accusation was wrong. And this ''shoving'' issues occured because i was trying to get inside my room to grab my things, because i was told to leave. Then as the night came i was told i wasnt allowed to sleep on ny bed and me and ny sister beds were against our walls and they also threaten to make me sleep outside. So i decided i couldn't take it anymore and decided to leave. And as time went on my family decided to report me as a runaway, but i was also told if i were to comeback to that house i would just have to take all my stuff and leave. I have been gone for about a month, and registration for is enrollment is coming up and im really close to graduating early and i dont know how to keep doing school. I just want to finish school. But i cant go back home, so i dont know what to do.Comment
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Hey there, and thanks for contacting NRS. We know that it can take a lot of courage to reach out for support, and we're glad you took that step. It sounds like you've had a difficult time as of late, and we're sorry to hear that. It must be pretty tough trying to figure out how to get enrolled in school and continue to attend on your own, all while you're dealing with so many other things.
The good news is, because of the McKinney-Vento Act, you CAN continue attending school, even though you're not living at home. The McKinney-Vento Act permits homeless, runaways and unaccompanied youth to continue attending school, without some of the normal things they'd need to enroll (like medical records, parental consent, etc.). You can learn more here: https://www.federalregister.gov/docu...youths-program
Assuming you were not attending a private school, you should be able to continue attending, or enroll somewhere else, without issue. You can ask to speak to the school social worker and let them know that you'd like to enroll under the McKinney-Vento Act. Often times, schools have representatives who are there specifically to help with this, so don't hesitate to speak with someone if you have any questions or concerns.
If you'd like to chat in more detail about what's going on, please feel free to reach out to us directly by calling 1-800-RUNAWAY, or by chatting with us live at www.1800runaway.org. We're available 24/7 and are always happy to listen, and to help.
Take care.
NRS
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