Governor Chris Christie signed legislation, P.L.2017, c.83 (A-3785 / S-2396 (Downey / Ruiz), May 11 that requires the State to pay the educational costs for students who reside in a homeless shelter outside of their district of residence.
Under current law, P.L.2012, c.80, the State is required to pay the educational costs of any student who resides for more than one year in a domestic violence shelter or transitional living facility located outside the student’s district of resident. This new law provides that, in addition, the state will pay the educational costs of a student who resides for more than one year in a homeless shelter located outside the student’s district of residence.
A series of administrative law decisions have ruled that if a homeless family continues to reside in a particular school district for more than one year, then the family is considered to be domiciled in that district, and the district becomes responsible for the costs of the child’s education. This bill will avoid concentrating the educational costs of students who live in homeless shelters for an extended period of time on the communities in which the shelters are located.