Enroll now or wait?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In order to enroll you need to show car registration +driver's license with your DC address, or a utility bill (not phone) with the residence address in your name, or the lease. I doubt you have any of these documents if you are in a temporary Airbnb. I really don't think you can enroll your child at this stage even if you want to.

OP - I don't and I won't by the time school starts, so I am really facing a catch 22. I guess that, technically, we are homeless. Except we are not poor, and I do not want to reap benefits that are put in place for kids who need them, but I also do not want to get in trouble for having an unenrolled 6 year old, nor do I want him to miss the first days, zoom or in person. The inbound school for the AirBnB is great, but we can't afford to buy in bounds here and the commute may not be the best (we are WFH now). Additionally, I have a younger child, who I would not want to risk being unable to enroll in Kindergarten in the same school as her brother next year.

Since you are not a resident- you will not get in trouble. Do not worry about that. If all the things above are a priority for you, find a permanent place to live. You need a lease.

We did start paying DC taxes but the pay stub address is our work address. So I do have one document that meets the primary list of residency requirement.

All documents need to match addresses. There is a history of residency fraud in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Technically you are homeless and can apply under the following circumstances. Call them in the morning.

https://dcps.dc.gov/service/homeless-children-and-youth-services-dcps

You are not homeless. The definition is a child without a regular, fixed, and adequate nighttime residence. You have adequate nighttime residence. By choice, it is not permanent. Your situation is that you do not have a permanent residence in DC. It is different.

You are not a resident. You can get up tomorrow and move to Maryland (or anywhere) by your choice.
If you want to be a resident and enroll your children in public school, you need a longer term address. AirBnB by definition is short term. You can not claim it as residency for voting - for registering your car - for utility bills.

I think the "and" there changes the meaning. The residence may be perfectly adequate, but it is not regular, or fixed. So, look, I'm not saying OP should enroll in other benefits for homelessness, but yes, she should enroll her child with the procedures in place for those who don't have a longterm, "fixed" residence.

+1

I had a friend staying with me for several months due to a house fire and they were considered homeless. OP is considered unsheltered because the family does not have permanent housing. Definitely reach out to the school's Homeless Liaison for assistance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Technically you are homeless and can apply under the following circumstances. Call them in the morning.

https://dcps.dc.gov/service/homeless-children-and-youth-services-dcps

You are not homeless. The definition is a child without a regular, fixed, and adequate nighttime residence. You have adequate nighttime residence. By choice, it is not permanent. Your situation is that you do not have a permanent residence in DC. It is different.

You are not a resident. You can get up tomorrow and move to Maryland (or anywhere) by your choice.
If you want to be a resident and enroll your children in public school, you need a longer term address. AirBnB by definition is short term. You can not claim it as residency for voting - for registering your car - for utility bills.

I think the "and" there changes the meaning. The residence may be perfectly adequate, but it is not regular, or fixed. So, look, I'm not saying OP should enroll in other benefits for homelessness, but yes, she should enroll her child with the procedures in place for those who don't have a longterm, "fixed" residence.

Taken to the extreme - any family could rent an AirBNB and enroll in any school in the district.

That is correct. If you rented an AirBnB (and also didn't have a permanent residence elsewhere!), then they would be homeless. If someone wants to go homeless to get into the JKLMs, i suppose that is allowed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Technically you are homeless and can apply under the following circumstances. Call them in the morning.

https://dcps.dc.gov/service/homeless-children-and-youth-services-dcps

You are not homeless. The definition is a child without a regular, fixed, and adequate nighttime residence. You have adequate nighttime residence. By choice, it is not permanent. Your situation is that you do not have a permanent residence in DC. It is different.

You are not a resident. You can get up tomorrow and move to Maryland (or anywhere) by your choice.
If you want to be a resident and enroll your children in public school, you need a longer term address. AirBnB by definition is short term. You can not claim it as residency for voting - for registering your car - for utility bills.

I think the "and" there changes the meaning. The residence may be perfectly adequate, but it is not regular, or fixed. So, look, I'm not saying OP should enroll in other benefits for homelessness, but yes, she should enroll her child with the procedures in place for those who don't have a longterm, "fixed" residence.

Taken to the extreme - any family could rent an AirBNB and enroll in any school in the district.

That is correct. If you rented an AirBnB (and also didn't have a permanent residence elsewhere!), then they would be homeless. If someone wants to go homeless to get into the JKLMs, i suppose that is allowed.

This. Call and explain the situation accurately. You're not intentionally cheating the system, but you may not have a permanent residence by August 31st and you are legally required to enroll your child somewhere. Call and ask what to do.

[Anonymous]

The only residence document you need is a paystub. Ask your new employer to use the airBnB address so your next paycheck shows that address and enroll. Otherwise, follow the suggestion of others and make a homeless claim.

[Anonymous]

OP, just call DCPS and ask what you should do. You can always enroll now and change things later, just to make sure you have a spot somewhere. It won't be the end of the world. Everyone's going to be doing everything virtually, anyway, so it's not like your kid will be missing out on in-person friendship-making opportunities. A lot of kids change schools at the start of the year (usually when they get off the waitlist at a more desired school), so it happens and the world doesn't end. Good luck, and welcome to DC!