Macy* is an incredibly hard worker. She has the drive to succeed on her own terms, with plans to go to college in the future.
As a young teenager, Macy had to learn how to support herself when her adoptive parents stopped emotionally and financially supporting her. Macy worked several part-time jobs while still attending school full-time to stay afloat.
Despite Macy’s best efforts, she began living at a youth shelter while continuing to work two part-time jobs. Without a home, it was very difficult for her to maintain her enrollment in school, and she was forced to enroll in a new school. Macy was determined to make her new school situation work. She reached out to LCYC Staff Attorney, Sarah Zimmerman, to seek assistance with the enrollment process under the McKinney-Vento Act and to learn more about the emancipation process, to become legally independent.
The McKinney-Vento Act requires school districts to immediately enroll a homeless student, even if the student is lacking documents normally required for enrollment. Macy was experiencing homelessness, but the school district would not approve her request to enroll. Working with her LCYC attorney, the school district’s failure to respond was reported to the Homeless Education Division under Washington’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction multiple times. However for over two weeks, Macy was unable to enroll. After much persistence, Macy and her LCYC attorney were able to meet with the school district’s employees, and successfully advocate for her enrollment.
After Macy was enrolled, she was given only days to complete a full semester’s worth of course work. Committed to her education, Macy asked her teachers to receive credit for any coursework she could submit before the end of the term to save her grades for the semester. Even though the administrators and teachers were aware Macy was delayed by the handling of her enrollment process and unable to access the coursework, some of Macy’s teachers refused to accommodate her request. This meant she received full credit in some classes but failed the others.
For Macy, the process of enrolling in school was incredibly long and burdensome, but through the boundless determination of her and her LCYC attorney, Macy was able to continue with her education. Macy continued working on her goals with her LCYC attorney, and shortly thereafter, was also successful in petitioning the court for emancipation. Macy is an extremely smart and tenacious person with her future ahead of her. Macy is now legally independent and hopes that other homeless students will not suffer the same difficulties she faced as a student experiencing homelessness trying to overcome their situations.
*The client’s name has been changed to protect their privacy. LCYC was given permission to share their story.