Educational Services » Foster/Homeless Youth

Foster/Homeless Youth

Hermosa Beach City School District recognizes that foster and homeless youth are our most vulnerable students, and as such, they may require additional interventions and supports to ensure their academic and personal success.

For information regarding the District's Foster/Homeless Youth program, please contact:

Alison Montoya
Assistant Principal, Hermosa Vista & Valley Schools
(424) 333-9970
 
Foster Youth
Every student in the Hermosa Beach City School District is ensured access to the same opportunities for academic achievement and support, including children and youth in foster care. Foster youth have educational rights established through Assembly Bills 167, 216, and 490 to help eliminate barriers to education and ensure school stability. These rights are now part of the California Education Code.
 
Foster youth are children with an open child dependency court case who are placed by and for whom the State agency has placement and care responsibility. This includes but is not limited to, placements in foster family homes, foster homes of relatives, group homes, emergency shelters, residential facilities, childcare institutions, and pre-adoptive homes. 
 
All children in foster care have a county caseworker. In Los Angeles County, the agency is the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Other counties have different agency names but provide the same services. 
 
Homeless Youth
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act ensures that homeless children and youth have equal access to the same free, appropriate educational programs as other children and youth. Federal and state law mandates the elimination of educational barriers facing homeless children and youth to increase school stability and protect students from discrimination. Under this legislation, homeless children and youth are entitled to have access to the same educational experience and resources as all students.
 
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act defines homelessness as anyone who is:
  • Lacking a regular, fixed, and adequate nighttime residence
  • "Temporarily doubled up" with family or friends due to a loss of housing and economic hardship
  • Living in a shelter, hotel, or motel
  • Living in a public place not designated for sleeping (cars, parks, abandoned buildings)
  • A child who is not in the physical custody of their parent or legal guardian
  • A child or youth abandoned in a hospital
  • A migrant child who qualifies under any of the above
 
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