<p>Shoebox- I feel for you- that’s more than any kid should have to deal with. But, even if you do have to attend a different school for the last year, make sure you contact 2-3 teachers from your old school and ask them to write your reccomendation letters. They know you better and the letters should definitely come from them. Also, you should really ask your Guidance Counselor from there to write you a letter also. We have had problems in this area with kids being asked to leave schools because they don’t really “live” in the district, and also, the parents are being jailed. If that’s what happened to you, your parents are lucky and should not try to force the issue and have you go back to the school- unless they have moved and established true residency, you know the school isn’t going to permit you to register, so your parents have to face facts. For heaven’s sake, don’t let them do something similar for college, which it sounds as if they are. You have more common sense and will be just fine. Don’t worry about the leadership positions- you held them in your junior year, and that’s what the colleges will see. As for explanations, you have a built in topic for your college essays. Stay strong, do the right thing, which you are, and look ahead. Your parents made the mistakes, you know right from wrong, so start getting your paperwork in order and work on those applications.
PS- if your parents are trying to send you to live with a relative in another state in order to qualify for “in-state” tutition for college, be aware that they may have to sign over legal guardianship of you to the relative, which means that A)your parents can’t claim you as a deduction on their taxes B) Health insurance will be a problem and C) you will need to be careful about applying for financial aid for college since whom you live with and who is financially responsible for you will become an issue. The relatives need to be filled in on all of this too.</p>