For the first time in a decade, Chicago Public Schools is making changes to its policy for serving students experiencing homelessness and youth without legal guardians, aiming to make it easier for them to enroll in school and access support.
Under the new policy, approved unanimously Thursday by the Chicago School Board, students in temporary living situations must be enrolled the same day they present themselves at the school zoned for where they are staying.
While the previous policy said students experiencing homelessness should be “immediately” enrolled, a right guaranteed under the federal McKinney-Vento law, the revision makes it clear that means on the same day.
The changes also require schools to dedicate private spaces where students can seek help. That allows families to share details of their circumstances “with the dignity they deserve,” said Simone Moseley, executive director of the district’s Office of Student Support and Engagement.
The updated policy strikes the use of the word “homeless” in many cases — a word that many students and families do not identify with, and that carries some stigma with it — and expands the definition of who the policy covers.
Children and youth who lack a “fixed, regular and adequate night-time place of residence” are still covered. That includes students living in motels, emergency shelters or spaces not ordinarily used as a place to sleep, such as a garage or a car. Migratory children living in these situations are now explicitly mentioned as being covered by the policy.
District officials said many of these changes were based on feedback from students and families experiencing homelessness and were aimed at making the district be more proactive in providing assistance.
“This revision is about consistency as an inroad to equity, ensuring that the standard of care and resources available to all students are not dictated by their ZIP code but are guaranteed by district policy” Moseley said at a May school board meeting when the revisions were first proposed.
At least 22,000 CPS students – about 6.8% – experienced homelessness during the 2024-2025 school year, according to the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness, an advocacy group that organizes for housing rights. That’s more than double the national rate. During the 2023-24 school year, 3.2% of public school students experienced homelessness in the U.S., according to latest federal data from the National Center for Homeless Education.
Due to the influx of migrant families in recent years, more CPS students were living in shelters “than ever before,” Moseley said. At the peak in 2024, more than 8,400 students were living in shelters, cars, parks and motels. That number is now down to around 2,300, she said.
The revision also allows students who don’t live with a parent or legal guardian to enroll themselves in school and consent to transportation services, getting rid of the requirement for parent signatures.
“We are eliminating a significant barrier to their education and ensuring they have the tools to stay in school and stay on track,” Moseley said.
The updates include language that ensures students in unstable housing situations have access to technology devices, fee waivers, transportation and extracurricular activities.
The new policy is also intended to make it easier for students in temporary living situations to identify who to reach out to in school for help. Moseley said not being able to find someone who could help at the school level was one of the most common issues raised by students and families.
School staff members known as liaisons coordinate resources for these students. To align with the Chicago Teachers Union contract, liaisons will receive a stipend based on how many students experiencing homelessness are enrolled at their schools, according to the new policy.
Additionally, at schools with 75 or more students in temporary living situations, the district will fund dedicated advocate positions responsible for case management and intensive support, as outlined in the latest agreement with the CTU.