16yr old runaway, how to enroll in school?

[Guest]

Hello! I turned 16 this past june and i left my home. I moved from Wisconsin to Texas and my mom isn’t going to file a runaway report on me as long as i go to school. Im living with my bf family at the moment and i’m wondering how im supposed to enroll myself in school. i have all my papers but i’m not sure what to tell the school and i have already missed the first 3 weeks of school. please help

[ccsmod15]

Hi there,



Thank you for reaching out to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS), we are so glad that you did. It sounds like you are going through a stressful situation, with living in a new state, and a new home and trying to figure out the logistics of continuing your education. However, it sounds like you are very responsible and mature for reaching out to us to make sure that you can continue attending school.



While we are not legal experts, we do have some general knowledge on child related laws. One that might be beneficial to you is the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act. Pursuant to this Act, students who are experiencing any sort of homelessness must be immediately enrolled in school in the attendance zone where the student is residing. You can reference this website to get more information about the McKinney-Vento Act, and who to contact in Texas to assist with your situation.

https://tea.texas.gov/texas-schools/support-for-at-risk-schools-and-students/mckinney-vento-homeless-education-dispute-resolution-process

Additionally, you mentioned that your mom is not going to file a runaway report on you as long as you enroll in school. If this is the case, maybe your mom could assist you with enrollment, by calling the school directly or providing written permission to do so with the family that you are staying with.



If you need further assistance or want to explore more options with us directly, please do not hesitate to reach out via chat through this website or on our phone hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY. We are here to help 24/7. We really hope to hear from you soon, but if we do not hear back from you, we wish you the best of luck!



Sincerely,

NRS