McClatchy: 1 Million Schoolchildren Homeless in America

[Louisiana1976]

One million schoolchildren are homeless in America. That's an intolerable number, and it's likely to rise unless we do something about it.

For homeless school-age children — with precarious living arrangements and the daily struggles to find food and shelter — attending school is an uphill battle. At least one-fifth do not attend school at all. Often, there is no transportation from shelters to school.

And for those homeless students who do attend, they have more academic problems, are suspended twice as often, and are more likely to repeat a grade. Their math and reading scores are 16 percent lower, and only one in four graduates from high school.

We are punishing these school-age kids for the sins of our economic and social policies.

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more...http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/75952.html

[RT Atlanta]

1. What do we do?

How can I, average Joe, do something about this - because I want to.

It should be intolerable that our country cannot provide food and shelter (or, as Dr. King was driving at in his last year, to end poverty in this country) for all of our children (and their parents).

This is so sad.

[Triana]

2. Where's THEIR bailout?

Just asking.

[liberal N proud]

3. Truly sad

This is America, land of opportunity for the privileged.

[LWolf]

4. The number of homeless students

in my little rural K-8 school was up drastically last year; we had all kinds of turnover as students were shifted around between extended family members when their parents were evicted. The high point last year? 48 homeless students out of a school population of about 430. About 11 % of the total school population. One of my students was homeless for the last 2 years; we didn't want her to change schools, since she was already in the "at risk" category: she has a single alcoholic mother who had abusive boyfriends and generally neglected her daughter. She was already on everyone's radar, including local social services, who monitored her situation pretty closely.

Our principal, our FAN advocate, and some of the parents of her classmates got together and made sure that she had a place to sleep every night, and a ride to school and back from where ever she was staying, regardless of whether or not it was within school boundaries. More often than not, she just spent the night with the family that was giving her a ride the next day. We were able to keep her through 8th grade that way. She started high school this month; I haven't heard about how she is doing yet.

She was just one of 6 different homeless kids in my classes alone the last 2 years.

Homeless kids aren't a new problem, but the numbers sure are up since the economy crashed.

[imdjh]

5. What is the definition of "homeless"?

It doesn't matter if it's a thousand or a million, it's unacceptable, but I would like to know what definition they are using because Pasco County Florida recently announced that it was recalculating their number of homeless because the last one didn't count people living with friends or family members. There is grant money involved. But the last time I checked, when I was living with friends or family members, I wasn't homeless.