16 Running away how can i enroll myself in school

[ccsmod3]

Hi there, thank you for reaching out. It sounds like your parents are verbally abusive and you are planning on going to stay with your boyfriend’s mom. We are glad to hear that you have a safe place you are able to go. There is another hotline, National Homeless Education hotline: 1-800-308-2145, that might be able to guide you more on how to continue to be enrolled in school. We are also here to support as best as we can, and you can contact our hotline 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or chat us online at 1800runaway.org. We are here 24/7.
Best,
NRS

I'm 15. I live in the state of Iowa. I plan on running away from home tomorrow. I'm going to live with my boyfriends family. My parents are very verbally abusive and I don't want to be at home with them anymore. I would like to finish high school without them. They have continued to say they don't care if i leave. What should I do?

[ccsmod3]

We are glad you reached out to us for help. It is clear you have a specific goal and outcome for your schooling. Unfortunately, at 16 you don’t have the final say in that decision and your parents will get to make it.

It is understandable that you are looking for options to have some control over what is obviously a very important decision for you. Your best option for an easy outcome is to get your parents consent to public school. We have some resources that might be able to help you get your parents to agree to this and help them realize that there is a real risk of you leaving to get what you want for school. Also, we can conference call with you and your parents and help you talk through this with them to advocate for what you want.

If you do decide to run away, you have the right to enroll in a public school through the McKinney/ Vento Act that is a Federal Law and it applies in every state. There are resources to help you enroll in school even though you are a reported runaway (or locked out). These resources are available by state and you can start that process by calling the National Center for Homeless Education Helpline at (800) 308 2145. You can also find your local resource on the following website:

https://schoolhouseconnection.org/homeless-liaisons-directory/

To talk more about help getting your parents to consent to public school of if you have any trouble getting the enrollment process started with the National Center for Homeless Education or your local state resource please reach out to us through our website for a chat or through our crisis hotline at 1 (800) RUNAWAY. Both are available 24/7 and both are completely confidential.


We hope to hear from you soon.


NRS

Hi, I’m currently 16 and currently homeschooled with my siblings. Due to my neurodevelopmental disorder and other reasons, my parents decided to homeschool me when I was in fifth grade, and then my siblings two years later, I hate my parents for this and after a argument I recently had with my mom, I decided that I was going to put myself in public school, because my mom wants me to “catch up” before they put me in school because she didn’t do anything to teach me well, and there probably going to put me in a religious school instead of a public school.

My questions are, is there a way I can do it without my parents consent while I’m still living with them, or will I have to runaway to be considered a homeless unaccompanied youth and have them do it, because I’ll do anything to get back to school.

[ccsmod16]

Hi,
thanks for reaching out. If you are a homeless student, you can call the National Center for Homeless Education Helpline at 1-800-308-2145 and they will help you to find out if you qualify.
If you have a different circumstance, please call us at 1-800-786-2929 or chat us through this website to discuss your situation.
We truly hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
NRS

I am 13 how can I in roll myself into school

[ccsmod16]

Hi, thanks for reaching out; we are glad that you did. We don't have the answers to your questions. We would have to talk this over with you. All youth shelters would require parental consent, and as a minor you are prevented by law from getting your own place.
For emancipation, you would have to prove to a judge that you have a job that enables you to fully support yourself; emancipation is the only way to be granted the right to act as an adult before you reach the age of majority.
We hope that you will chat us through this website so we can have a conoversation with you.
We truly hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
NRS

im 15 and when i turn 16 i plan on going to seattle by myself without parental consent, idk how i can find a place to stay and attend school so id like for u to reply to this with ways how i can without emancipation and stuff. I dont wanna call fyi

[ccsmod15]

Hello,

You mentioned some things that raise concern for your safety and well-being. If any harm or abuse is happening at home, you have the right to report it. We are not experts on the issue, but generally once it's been reported, social services will either decide whether or not to take the case and further investigate. Having crack in the house and them considering to put you into a trafficking situation is likely grounds for an investigation.
If they do take the case, they will send out someone from child protective services to do an investigation (interviewing people in the household) and from there they will decide the level of danger within the household. It generally ranges from no danger (the youth stays in the home, some services are given, and the case is closed), moderate danger (they will provide family services with possible temporary displacement) and high danger (they will remove the youth from the home and offer certain services). They generally try to keep siblings of similar ages together and if your older sisters would likely be first on the list of people to place you with. They would also get help in supporting you and your other siblings from the state to help take care of you.

If you feel like this is an option you want to explore, you may find this website helpful: https://www.childhelp.org/child-abuse/. We can also help you to file a report if that’s the route you are considering.

Please be safe and reach out soon by phone or chat so that we may help.
Take care,
NRS

I'm 12 and I used to live in California. My mom moved all of us to Minnesota after my dad passed away. I want to run away back to California and take my siblings with me but I cant because there's too much of us (. I'm scared because her boyfriend has said that hes going to sell us and she agreed. She doesn't really feed us and her bf smokes crack. I'm scared to report this to anyone because they might not take me seriously and I'm scared of splitting my siblings up. My older sisters said they're willing to take care of us but ik there's too many of us. If I run away to them will they get into trouble?? I don't know what to do but I also don't want to leave them alone. I can't find a job because I'm too young and I overheard that my mom is going to put us in homeschool soon. I just don't know where to turn to.

[ccsmod15]

It takes a lot of courage to reach out so thank you for taking that first step with us. We are by no means legal experts. It is great that you have been putting together a plan and saving money. A great first place to reach out to is National Center for Homeless Education at 1 (800) 308-2145 they can put you in contact with the state coordinators for your state and they can give a little bit more details on the process. It is possible that someone might try and contact your mom. It could be worth contacting a counselor at your current school and getting their opinions on what next steps should be. Remember you are not alone, and you can contact us as well about next steps or if you just want to talk about what's going on right now in your life we are 24/7 and always happy to listen our phone number is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) and we do have a live chat option as well.
Stay strong and stay safe.
NRS

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