16 Running away how can i enroll myself in school

I’m 18 and I really want to go back to school. How do I re-enroll?

[ccsmod1]

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

I am 16 years old and ran away from my moms house. I did find stable housing but I want to continue my education

[ccsmod4]

Reply: I’m 15, I ran away

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. It sounds like you have had to make a tough emotional decision. You are a strong individual. Most schools require a parent or guardian to enroll a student but in cases where a youth is a runaway or homeless they may be able to enroll on their own. You would have to contact the school district in your area as to inquire about the Homeless student act McKinney-Vento to see if you might qualify.
You are welcome to contact NRS to arrange a conference call to the school or school district and ask any questions you might have. We will ask the questions on your behalf while you listen in keeping your anonymity. Just call between normal school hours.

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).

We hope to hear from you soon.

Take care,
NRS


We hope this response was helpful! We’d love to hear from you about your experience using our crisis email/forum. Your feedback plays an important role in helping us improve our services to youth and families. Please click the link to fill out our survey: Your Opinion Matters to Us

I’m 15, I ran away because I got pregnant and my dad didn’t like the fact that I wanted an abortion. So I took off and got it myself. Is there a way to enroll my self in to school, I was homeschooled before I took off and then my dad ended up taking me out of it when I didn’t come home.

[ccsmod2]

Hi there, thanks for contacting National Runaway Safeline. We are sorry to hear you are having such a hard time at home with your parents and having to move schools. It does not seem fair that you did not have much input in that decision and it must be hard on you. We are here to support you in any way we can. At 17, you are likely still considered a minor in your state. Due to this, you are required to be under the supervision of your legal guardians and they are responsible for making some decisions regarding you, including where you live until you are a legal adult. This means that if you do decide to leave, yes, there will be the risk of you having to return home but, it will likely depend on the police response. In some cases, police may not be strict with enforcing something like making someone return home who has decided to leave if they are closer to legal age but, since the law is that you legally cannot live away from home without parent’s permission until adulthood, there also is the risk they may enforce that law and have you return home. It all really depend on the police response regarding the matter. As far as your concern of the people you stay with being charged with anything, there is the likelihood of your parents filing you as a runaway and charging any adult you are staying with as harboring a runaway. In most cases, parents do not pursue this charge but it is a possibility. We hope this information was useful for you and we would encourage you to reach out again if you have any more lingering questions or concerns. Please, feel free to contact us at our hotline 1800-RUNAWAY or visit our website to chat at 1800runaway.org at any time. We are here 24/7. Best of luck.

Hi I'm 16 and will be 17 in 3 months and I want to run away my parents are too strict and made me move schools bc of a gf and I just want to leave can the police make me go back if I don't want to? I also don't want the people I'm staying with to be charged with anything

[ccsmod6]

Hi there, thanks for contacting National Runaway Safeline. We are more than willing to answer your questions and address your concerns. In most cases and in most states, you cannot enroll yourself into school without being of legal age. In some cases, if the state permits, you can enroll yourself into school if you are living apart from your parents/guardians and completely support yourself. You may likely also need to have a permanent address and have identifying information (ID, social security card, birth certificate). It may also be beneficial to explore other alternative educational options such as, teen parenting residential and educational programs if they are available in the city and state you plan to live in. You mentioned you no longer want to be where you currently are and if you are not feeling like you are in a safe environment right now, it may be beneficial to contact your local authorities. Please, feel free to contact us at any time if you have any additional questions and concerns or need any assistance exploring resources by contacting our hotline 1800-RUNWAY or visiting our website to chat live at 1800runaway.org. We are more than willing to assist and wish you the very best.

Hi, I am 17 years of agae and I am also pregnant, I have ran away multiple times but have been moved 4 hours away from my home town, I don't want to be here anymore and want to run, I have a place to stay and money to support myself but I'm not sure if I can enroll myself in school if I do, can I ?

[ccsmod4]

Reply: I'm 17 and I was thinking about...

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. You might checkout this link for outreach services and more in the Portland, OR. area www.janusyouth.org/

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).
We hope to hear from you soon.

Take care,
NRS

We hope this response was helpful! We’d love to hear from you about your experience using our crisis email/forum. Your feedback plays an important role in helping us improve our services to youth and families. Please click the link to fill out our survey: Your Opinion Matters to Us

I'm 17 and I was thinking about taking a train to Portland Oregon I was going to stay with a friend and I read that I do have the right to continue my education even if I don't have the documents and stuff needed so that's great but I'm so worried about getting a job down there Do you know of any like programs I could go through while I'm down there?

[ccsmod15]

Thank you for contacting us at the National Runaway Safeline. It takes great courage to reach out for help and we are glad that you decided to reach to us.
We are sorry to hear that that you are going through such an overwhelming time. It is not ok for you to be hurt in anyway and you don’t deserve to be treated like that. If your safety is ever at risk you can call 911. If it might be an option for you, you can call Child Help USA at 1-800-422-4453 and they can help you provide more information on how to file an abuse report. Taking pictures or having recordings of any abuse incidences can be helpful as well. You are not alone and we are here to support you through this. Talking to other family member or friends can be helpful in many situations.
Running away can be hard in many cases. As you mentioned, it can be helpful to think about where you might stay, how you might pay for food, rent and other living expenses.
While we are not legal experts just speaking generally if you are to runaway from home you can still attend school. However if a runaway report is filed by your parents the police can bring you back home. Running away is not a crime however the police can bring you back home and whoever you are to stay with could be charged with harboring a runaway.
This can be a lot to think about and we are here to support you through this process. If you call us at our 24 hour confidential hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or live chat with us we can listen to you, explore your options and provide any resources.

Asking for help is a sign of strength and you are acting strong in this hard situation. We wish you the best and hope to hear from you soon.
Best,
NRS

Hi I'm 16 years old in a very miserable abusive terrible situation I want to run away and be free from the situation but I want to still continue going to school wherever I go and yes money and shelter I have that down packed and I really j6st can't live like this anymore , my dad us evil abusive and cruel he doesn't even give me the things I need he and my sister treat me like a servant /slave I cry myself to sleep often .my boyfriend and h8s family care about me so much .I just want to be successful and happy and with people that care .I have had adult responsibilities since I was younger I raised three of mysiblings starting st age 7 I was a k8d myself but I was forced to take care of my siblings as if they were my own and I was bullied , abused, touch on by my mom's boyfriends and one of there son's attempted to rape me and my mom didn't wanna listen when I tried to tell her and I've bern broken inside due to everything that happened to me and I just want to be free and still get my education and this is just till I turn 17 cause then I can leave freely but I can't stay in the situation till then so what is some advise you can give me ?

[ccsmod10]

Hi there,

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It seems like there must be a lot going on in your life, especially at home, if you’re thinking about leaving home. It’s great that you were able to find out some information about our hotline. Hopefully we can help.

As a minor (under the age of majority), you aren't able to leave home without your parents’ permission. We aren’t legal experts, but what generally what typically happens if a minor runs away, is that your parents would be able to make a runaway. A good way to find out exactly what the police protocols are in your city, would be to reach out to your local non-emergency police. You can ask them hypothetical questions about running away. If you'd like, we can also look for legal aid resources. There are lawyers who help youth for free or for free, they would be able to brainstorm legal ways for you to move out early. If you'd like us to connect you with those resources please give us a call.

Regarding attending school, you do have the right to enroll in school, thanks to something called the McKinney-Vento. The National Center for Homeless Educational Helpline (800) 308-245 would be able to answer your questions about the act. They would also be able to give you more information regarding whether or not your enrolling in school would trigger any alerts on your runaway report.

If you give us a call on our 24/7 fully confidential hotline, at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) we could help answer some of those questions you have and could potentially help you brainstorm a solution to the issues you are having. We also have an online chat service available through our website (www.1800runaway.org) if you don’t feel like calling in to talk on the phone.

Best, NRS

I’m running away at age 16 with my boyfriend who is 19 not sure where we going yet but can he put me in school?