Answer: Yes. The alternative school is the school in which the student was last enrolled, and the school the student attended when permanently housed. 42 USC §11432(g)(3)(I). The McKinney-Vento Act, and the definition of school of origin, apply regardless of accreditation. A school district placed the student at the alternative school through the IEP process, so it was considered the appropriate place to meet her special education needs. Many schools go in and out of accreditation and it doesn’t impact their McKinney-Vento status. Unless the district that created the IEP and placed the student revises the placement based on the school’s lack of accreditation, the placement stands.
We have a student with an IEP who has yet to be in school this year but would like to return, as she can potentially graduate in June. The school district where she was residing placed her in an alternative school. The student is now an unaccompanied homeless youth, staying in a different school district. The student wants to return to the alternative school, and I think the alternative school is her school of origin. However, the school is saying that it is not accredited, and therefore cannot be the school of origin. Is the alternative school the school of origin?
Mar 31, 2020 | Q and A