16 Running away how can i enroll myself in school

Thank you for responding! My friend and I had discussed in the past what we can do and I plan on leaving in December because I work and wanna save as much as possible before leaving. I only have a year and a half until I turn 18. Also I had went to the same school as my friend during freshman yr, I'm in 11th now and I wanna go back to the same school again. Will that trigger something in the records or will me enrolling again in the same school as a homeless youth make them contact my mom because I'm afraid of that happening.

[ccsmod15]

Hey there,
Thanks for reaching out to NRS. It seems like things have become very complicated and you are hoping to stay with a friend’s family that you find more supportive and healthy compared to living with your mom. It probably feels isolating not having a secure place to go, or at least that where you will be living is up in the air right now. The good news seems to be that you have a family willing to be supportive of you even if it might be complicated actually follow through with that plan.
Generally, as long as you have parent or guardian permission to be in a particular home then that is all you need. So emancipation might not be strictly necessary. The difficulty is that whomever is your legal guardian could change their mind and ask for you to return “home” with whatever is considered reasonable notice. In short you can likely stay with your friend and their family, but only with permission.
You mentioned that your step-family is making you feel like you aren’t allowed or wanted there. You don’t deserve to suddenly have the rug taken out from under you like that by them over one bad act. Family is meant to support, and if they are your legal guardians they actually would be considered negligent to kick you out without providing you a safe place to go.
In regards to school you can enroll at any time without a parent, and without any paperwork as well. This is through the McKinney-Vento act and your school district is legally required to have a homeless liaison who can help you to enroll and even get free lunches. Eventually they might need to talk with a parent or guardian though, but initial enrollment should be possible. Even just the fact that you could be kicked out now might even qualify you on its own for services since housing insecure also counts.
Hopefully this information has been helpful and gives you a direction to go. If you have more questions please feel free to reach out directly through our chatline at https://www.1800runaway.org/ or by phone at 1-800-786-2929 (1-800-RUNAWAY).
Stay Safe,
NRS

I'm 16 and live with my step family rn but something happened and now I have to leave they don't want me here anymore. My dad isn't letting me stay with him & I don't want to live with my mom because she's not a good person.i have a friend who's mom willing to take me in but doesn't have any legal papers on me but I was wondering can I enroll myself into school I really don't wanna go back to my mom but I'm not emancipated.

[ccsmod3]

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

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.

[ccsmod13]

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

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?

[ccsmod9]

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.

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 ?

[ccsmod5]

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,
NRS

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.

[ccsmod15]

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

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-

[ccsmod8]

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!

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?