Special Services
McKinney-Vento Act
North Carolina Virtual Academy (NCVA) shall provide an educational environment that treats all students with dignity and respect. Every student experiencing homelessness shall have access to the same free and appropriate educational opportunities as students who are not homeless. This commitment to the educational rights of homeless children, youth, including homeless unaccompanied youth, applies to all services, programs, and activities provided or made available.
A student is considered homeless if they lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. A student may be considered eligible for services under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act if he or she is presently living:
- In temporary shared housing, a shelter, or transitional living program
- At a bus station, park, car, or abandoned building
- Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason
- Living in motels, hotels, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations
- Living in emergency or transitional shelters
- Living in a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings
- Living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings
- Migratory children living in the above circumstances
- Unaccompanied youth living in the above circumstances
Identified students under the law will be eligible for immediate enrollment or placement on the wait list if it is determined to be in the best interest of the student, depending on grade level space available. Documentation and immunization records cannot serve as a barrier to enrollment in the school.
We are committed to meeting the needs of all children. If you have or know of a child who could benefit from such a program, please contact NCVA's homeless liaison, Paige Adams, at padams@ncvacademy.org or call 919.346.0121 ext. 2030.
For more information, visit the National Center for Homeless Education. And learn more about homeless youth identified in North Carolina.
State Coordinator for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth
Lisa Phillips
Phone: 337.315.7491
Email: lphillip@serve.org
A professional translator may be requested at any time by contacting NCVA at 855.669.3660.
