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Trauma-Informed Schools October 22, 2020 | Volume 16 | Issue 4 Table of Contents
Theodora Schiro
How many students in your school or district are homeless? The number of children and youth experiencing homeless has steadily increased over the past 15 years. There were more than 1.5 million homeless children during the 2017–18 school year, an increase of 15 percent from two years before. Although hard data has not yet emerged, we have only to see the news to know that that the number of homeless students has increased exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike a learning disability or health condition, which require accommodations or modifications, classroom teachers are not often informed when a student qualifies for the Students in Transition (SIT) program (which, under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, protects homeless students' rights and mandates equal access to education).
In 2018, 12 percent of homeless students were in shelters, usually with one or both parents, 7 percent lived in hotels or motels, trailer parks or campgrounds, abandoned buildings, cars, or public spaces, and 7 percent had no shelter at all. Most homeless children (74 percent) fall into the shared housing category—meaning they are doubled up with relatives or friends because of economic hardship caused by divorce, job loss, or unmanageable debt.
Teachers, social workers, counselors, nurses, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and front office staff are often the first to notice red flags that signal something isn't right. Students who wear the same clothes every day, never have lunch money, consistently struggle with poor attendance, or exhibit behavioral issues in unstructured settings may be experiencing homelessness. They often do not have transcripts, immunization records, or birth certificates.
Although schools were not designed as a social service system, social services have become an essential part of what every school provides. It's up to the school community to try to even the playing field for all students.
When families experience homelessness for the first time, they might have no idea where to turn for help. In cities and towns across the country, affordable housing is simply out of reach for families in transition. Education may not be a priority when families are dealing with incredibly stressful circumstances. It's challenging for a child who is experiencing homelessness to learn when they're focused on basic necessities like survival, food, and shelter. Many children have experienced stress from trauma that is unimaginable to teachers in an average classroom. Though children can be resilient, they do not escape unscathed. They may battle learning or behavioral difficulties or suffer from depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.
For these reasons, schools must train every staff member (teachers, administrators, school resource officers, and support personnel) to identify signs that might indicate a family is in trouble and to have resources to cope with crisis. Schools are required by law to have a liaison for homeless students and implement programs that improve enrollment, attendance, engagement, and academic success. But the quality of those programs depends on the knowledge and dedication of the people running them.
Some districts may designate a full or part-time employee to act as the liaison, while larger districts with more students in need may have an entire support team dedicated to homeless students and families. In districts with strong homeless education assistance programs, financed by federal grants, children and their families are better able to access the support they need. With the help of caring adults in a positive environment, students can overcome the trauma and succeed in school.
If you met Rita Bracamonte-Rodriguez for the first time, your first impression would be one of a well-dressed, confident young woman. An expert in her field, she has presented at conferences and appeared on radio shows. You would have no idea that the night before her interview for the job she currently holds, she slept in her car because she had no other place to go.
Rita was abandoned by her mother at age 6 and was shuffled off to live with relatives during the times her father couldn't care for her. As a young adult, skyrocketing medical bills and a sudden divorce left her financially ruined, and she was unable to afford a place to live. Now, she has a job as the Homeless Family Coordinator & Foster Care Liaison for the largest school district in Arizona, a role she has held for the past eight years. She uses her own life experience to teach others what they can do to help families in transition.
Under Rita's leadership, the Mesa Public Schools McKinney-Vento team provides services for over 1,100 homeless students in 86 schools. The team includes a social worker, who works specifically with homeless students. Education specialists meet with families new to shelters. A clerk does the shopping and delivery of clothing, hygiene items, school supplies, and bus passes.
The team also holds mandatory training with videos and webinars for district employees to identify potentially homeless students, so that liaisons can reach out and offer assistance. During this pandemic, teachers are often the first to notice when something is not right. One teacher contacted Rita because a student had not been showing up for virtual classes. After being e-introduced to the mom, Rita learned that the family had just been evicted. She set up temporary housing for the family that same day.
Though all districts are required to identify and serve homeless students, many wait for parents to contact them and request access to services. That's not the way Rita does it. Her goal is to connect families to supports as quickly as possible by doing the following:
Funding of up to $100,000 per year is available to all districts and charter schools through ESSA grants like Title I, but only about a quarter of school districts nationally apply for the McKinney Vento Homeless Education Assistance Grant. Now is the time to start planning for the next grant cycle. The dates are set by individual states and will vary; state departments of education have that information.
Funds are often used to pay for basic needs, but districts can get creative and expand opportunities. Covering the cost of registration for extra-curricular sports or clubs, musical instruments, tutoring, and credit-recovery courses are just a few ideas. If your district has a large number of unaccompanied teenagers attending high school, it's a worthwhile investment to hire a counselor dedicated to helping those students graduate.
As educators, it is beyond the scope of our work to try to break cycles of poverty. But we can support families in crisis. If they won't come to you, bring the programs to them. Listen to the families in your community, find out what they need, and try your best to meet those needs with an open heart and mind.
Supporting Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness During the COVID-19 Outbreak: Questions to Consider
COVID-19 and Homelessness: Strategies for Schools, Early Learning Programs, and Higher Education Institutions
Free Resources from the National Center for Homeless Education
Understanding and Addressing Youth Homelessness: Missed Opportunities: Education Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness in America?
Preventing and Managing the Spread of Infectious Disease for People Experiencing Homelessness
The Affordable Housing Crisis Leaves Children Vulnerable
FAQ on COVID-19 and Homelessness
National Center for Homeless Education. (2020, January). Federal Data Summary School Years 2015–16 through 2017–18, Education for Homeless Children and Youth. Retrieved from https://nche.ed.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Federal-Data-Summary-SY-15.16-to-17.18-Published-1.30.2020.pdf
National Center for Homeless Education. (n.d). McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Retrieved from https://nche.ed.gov/mckinney-vento/
U.S. Department of Education. (2020, May). Education for Homeless Children and Youths (EHCY) Program Profile. Retrieved from https://nche.ed.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/ehcy_profile.pdf
Many thanks to Rita Bracamonte-Rodriguez, Mesa Public Schools, and Frank Migali, former State Director of Education for Homeless Children & Youth in Arizona, for sharing your expertise in Homeless Education Assistance.
Theodora Schiro has been an educator for more than 37 years and has served as a classroom teacher, principal, a director of federal programs, and the supervisor for a homeless education assistance program in Arizona. She is the author of A Culture of Caring; A Suicide Prevention Guide for Schools (K–12) (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020).
More on This Topic: The Trauma Transmission from Students to Teachers
ASCD Express, Vol. 16, No. 4. Copyright 2020 by ASCD. All rights reserved. Visit www.ascd.org/ascdexpress.
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