I like to stay on the edge and write about issues that can affect education in very subtle and damaging ways but must be addressed. Recently, I found out about Mckinney Vento Act which has a provision in it that addresses education issues with students who are facing homelessness. Depending on your state or county it could mean a host of services that are available for students who have lost permanent housing and attend school. The primary protection for students under this Act is that if they have lost permanent housing they do not have to lose permanent schooling. Usually, they stay in the school they were in before losing their housing. What this means is that if student moves around or gets in a shelter or has to live with relatives they have within the law, the provision that they don't have to change schools. This is will be in place for the continuing of the school year or when they gain permanent housing, which ever is most stable for the student. So if they gain permanent housing within the school year they don't have to switch until the next school year (sometimes it is reviewed even then). One of the other provisions within this Act is that if the students are in another area and the bus routes are not available to them for the school a route will be accommodated for them to get to school. The provision makes for students to be transported, at no cost to the parent, by the school district. If the student moves from the school district to another than both of them work together to get the student to school. If they decide to change schools to the new district they have more leniency in enrollment.
This provision protects the the education portion that used to get overlooked when a family was displaced. Now it takes into account the struggle that was in the system to keep students at the "home of record". With so many families losing their homes to foreclosure and so many having to double up, we need to be aware that these provisions are there to protect the student and their education.
As I began to look for resources for parents to advocate on behalf of their student, I was amazed at the resources and liaisons and support systems which are available. Interestingly, I or non of my social circle, who also have school aged students, had heard of any of these resources. Which led me to believe that many of the parents who desperately need the services knew about them either.
1 comment:
This is much more of a problem than we think. I feel we are going to have a lost generation of homeless children.
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