TheMouse

Hi

we have just been given the go-ahead on my husband's internal transfer to Massachussetts.

Ideally we'd like my son to enroll at the start of the new school year so we are currently (visas permitting) targeting our move for the second half of August. We have identified a school we'd like him to go to and will find a rental property within this area.

The documents required by the local authority are:
Does anyone know what would happen if we had to move into short-term temporary accommodation (hopefully in the same area) when we first arrive? Would we simply not be able to register (given that we wont have any utility bills). Anyone successfully navigated a similar situation?

Thanks in advance

scrubbedexpat099

There must be people with children living in temporary housing, call them and ask.

kodokan

When we changed states from AZ to OH, we were able to use a hotel as our address by showing a room receipt. If it is in the boundary, and is - at that time - genuinely your only 'home' (easy to prove for new arrivals), it should be fine based on my experience. But the school district can confirm.

kimilseung

Some kids live in cars and still manage to get in to a school, so I think these issues are resolvable.

petitefrancaise

Temporary housing is fine so long as you have some way of proving that you reside there - like a lease.
Bank account statement should do it and cellphone bill/contract. You can go into a bank branch directly and ask them to print out a statement there and then with your address on it.

TheMouse

Thanks for all the responses. I will also check with the school authority but just wondered if anyone had any direct experience.

scrubbedexpat099

You never mentioned which school authority it is.

petitefrancaise

It happens quite a bit where I live - short supply of rental houses in a v good school district. They are very fussy about boundaries - a friend who arrived at the same time as us took a short term apartment which looked absolutely fine on the map provided by the school but it turned out the boundary was actually down the middle of the street. So, one side within the boundary and another not. She had to move apartment buildings....

TheMouse

OK that's one to watch out for, thanks!

Bob

They go to a school in a district that is for those without a home. Our local school is the one in the county that elementary kids get bussed to if they don't have a permanent home.

As to the OP, how flexible the district is all depends on location. Ours, you can live temporarily outside of the district for 90 days and stay in the school system if you can prove you are moving in to a place, or because you are having renovation work, or similar reason. Other districts are super strict.

All depends where in MA you'll be moving to.

TheMouse

Hopefully Newton so I'm guessing super strict...

Bob

Nice town. Pretty transient, so might not be all that bad.

If you do have a temp house there, it should be enough to get into school but as the holidays have begun, might be harder to get information. You need to show you're living at the address and the quickest way, if you can't wait for a utility bill is to send yourself a post card, that'll be a couple days and as it's federal, can be used to get a library card which would sort you out.

petitefrancaise

The quickest way is to go into a bank branch, any of your bank's branches and ask them to print out a statement with your address on it.

If you have a different address on the account (?work) then you can temporarily change the address to your short term housing. Just explain to the personal banker what you are doing. So, change the address by showing them your lease or bill, then print out the statement and then change the address to the original one.

TheMouse

Just to feed back on this, I spoke to the school district. They were extremely helpful and said that provided we have a signed lease they can wait 30 days for the other proof such as utility bill. Thanks to everyone for the responses.