Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS)

Description

Educational supports for Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS) offers assistance to students and families experiencing homelessness. The STLS program is dedicated to ensuring that students in temporary living situations have equal access to the same free and appropriate educational opportunities as students who are permanently housed. This commitment to the educational rights of children and youth in temporary living situations applies to all the services, programs and activities provided or made available by CPS.

Goals

The goal of the STLS program is to protect the educational rights of students in temporary living situations and to provide services to students and their families.

Eligible Students

The program serves all students who are in temporary living situations:

Students living in transitional, emergency, or domestic violence shelters; mobile home parks; campgrounds, cars, abandoned buildings, the outdoors, or other spaces not ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodations.
Students who are living with family or friends due to economic hardship, who are referred to as "doubled-up".
Students who have run away, who have been put out of their home by their parents/guardian, or who are not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Refugee or migrant students.

Benefits

Immediate school enrollment. A school must immediately enroll students even if they lack health, immunization or school records, proof of guardianship, or proof of residency.
Students can remain enrolled in his or her selected school for as long as he or she remains in a temporary living situation or, if the student becomes permanently housed, until the end of the academic year.
A student in a temporary living situation attending his/her school of origin has the right to transportation to go to and from the school of origin as long as he/she is in a temporary living situation or, if the student becomes permanently housed, until the end of the academic year. CPS staff must inform both parents/guardians or youth about transportation services to and from school and school-related activities.
Waiver of school-related fees.