Latest news with #homelessstudents
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fact Check: New Texas law will make it easier to suspend homeless students
Claim: Starting in September 2025, Texas will begin suspending homeless students. Rating: What's True: Texas lawmakers overturned a law that banned the suspension of homeless students and students in lower grades, except in extreme cases which may involve drugs, weapons or violence … What's False: … However, this does not mean students will be suspended for being homeless. Rather, the new rule will make it easier for schools to give homeless students and younger students out-of-school suspensions for offenses less severe than the ones outlined above. Further, schools that had been placed under "corrective action plans" for suspending homeless students in the 2023-24 school year will reportedly remain under those plans. In August 2025, a rumor spread that Texas would start suspending homeless students from its schools beginning in September 2025. For example, a post on X (archived) claimed Texas schools would now be able to suspend children "due to them being homeless": The same claim appeared several times on X. On Facebook, an image with the text "TEXAS WILL START SUSPENDING STUDENTS WHO ARE HOMELESS OR COME FROM UNSTABLE HOMES IN SEPTEMBER" circulated widely. Further, Snopes readers searched the website and sent emails as they sought to confirm the veracity of the claim. Snopes found that, the Texas legislature had indeed passed a bill that made it easier for schools to suspend homeless students and students below the third grade. The bill, which has been signed into law, overturned previous legislation that allowed such out-of-school suspensions only for serious offenses. However, the new law did not allow schools to suspend homeless children only because they were homeless. Texas House Bill 6 "Relating to discipline management and access to telehealth mental health services in public schools" gave more flexibility for schools to suspend homeless and younger students. Prior to this, the law in Texas allowed out-of-school suspension of homeless children and younger children only for offenses related to weapons, alcohol, drugs or violence. This was to comply with the federal McKinney-Vento Act of 1987, which provided extra protections for vulnerable children, such as those who are experiencing homelessness. Under the new law, those students may be suspended out of school for less-serious offenses, such as "conduct that threatens the immediate health and safety of other students in the classroom" and "documented conduct that results in repeated or significant disruption to the classroom." However, schools in San Antonio, which an investigative report by the Houston Landing and the San Antonio Report had shown had broken the old rule, will reportedly remain under corrective action plans by the Texas Education Agency for suspending vulnerable students for lesser offenses, acording to the San Antonio Report. Asher Lehrer-Small. "Exclusive: Texas Schools Illegally Suspended Thousands of Homeless Students — and Nobody Stopped Them." Houston Landing, 23 May 2024, Accessed 14 Aug. 2025. "Case# SRDR2024-07-13 | AGREED CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN." Texas Education Agency, 2025, Accessed 14 Aug. 2025. Garcia, Xochilt. "The Texas Law Banning the Suspension of Homeless Students Was Overturned. San Antonio Schools Still Face Consequences." San Antonio Report, 7 July 2025, Accessed 14 Aug. 2025. National Center for Homeless Education. "The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act." National Center for Homeless Education, 2023, Accessed 14 Aug. 2025. "Texas HB6 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature." LegiScan, 2025, Accessed 14 Aug. 2025.
Yahoo
05-08-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Needs Spaces' seeks to support homeless and low-income students in Central Florida
The Addition Financial Foundation is set to unveil newly renovated 'needs spaces' at four Central Florida public schools on August 5, 6, and 7, aimed at supporting homeless and low-income students. By April 2025, over 15,000 homeless students were in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, and Lake Counties, underscoring the urgent need for these initiatives. The Renovate to Educate program now emphasizes creating needs-based spaces that offer essential resources to vulnerable students, supporting homeless and low-income families across Central Florida. These spaces contain food, clothing, and hygiene items to support students and their families in need. The events will be held at Engelwood Elementary School in Orlando on August 5, Millennium Middle School in Sanford, Leesburg Elementary School in Leesburg on August 6 and Lakeview Elementary School in St. Cloud on August 7. The Addition Financial Foundation partnered with Seminole State College's Interior Design Program to evaluate each school's needs. Addition Financial volunteers then executed the renovations, which involved painting, constructing furniture, stocking shelves and laying new flooring. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
02-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
With homeless children in mind, Hooters leads efforts as classes begin in Collier County
Formed to aid Naples area public school students who are homeless or at risk, the Christmas in July Foundation of Collier County received 100 backpacks with school supplies and $6,000 from a restaurant just in time for the start of classes. In the Know: Order up! Newest SWFL Dairy Queen prepares to open as construction nears completion In July, Hooters of Naples patrons were encouraged to donate the items in an event sponsored by Kitchens by Clay and owner Clay Cox, a regular at the wings and beer hotspot. "We appreciate our customers' generosity in always supporting our community efforts,' said Director of Marketing Kristi Quarles of Hooters of South Florida, which operates 15 sites including at 3625 Gateway Lane and puts out a calendar. 'Our team at Naples Hooters is dedicated to helping children in our community." Columnist Phil Fernandez (pfernandez@ grew up in Southwest Florida. Sign up for our free Breaking Ground growth and development newsletter. This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Back to school with Hooters: Naples area students receive backpacks Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Homeless Student Counts in California Are Up. Some Say That's a Good Thing
This article was originally published in CalMatters. In Kern County, the first rule in counting homeless students is not saying 'homeless.' Instead, school staff use phrases like 'struggling with stable housing' or 'families in transition.' The approach seems to have worked: More families are sharing their housing status with their children's schools, which means more students are getting services. 'There's a lot of stigma attached to the word 'homeless,'' said Curt Williams, director of homeless and foster youth services for the Kern County Office of Education. 'When you remove that word, it all changes.' Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Largely as a result of better identification methods, Kern County saw its homeless student population jump 10% last year, to 7,200. Those students received transportation to and from school, free school supplies, tutoring and other services intended to help them stay in school. For the purposes of this data, the definition of homelessness is broader than the state's point in time count. The trend is reflected statewide. In the latest state enrollment data released last month, California had 230,443 homeless students — a 9.3% increase from the previous year. Some of the increase is due to the state's ongoing housing shortage, but most of the increase is because of better identification, advocates and school officials said. Homeless students face numerous obstacles in school. They have higher rates of discipline and absenteeism, and fare worse academically. Last year, only 16% of homeless students met the state's math standard, some of the lowest scores of any student group. Related 'Schools can't solve homelessness, but they can ensure the students are safe in the classroom and getting the education they need to get out of homelessness,' said Barbara Duffield, executive director of Schoolhouse Connection, a national homeless youth advocacy group. 'That starts with identifying the child who's homeless.' Challenges of counting homeless students Under the federal McKinney-Vento Act, schools are required to count their homeless students throughout the school year and ensure they receive services. Homeless students also have the right to stay enrolled in their original school even if they move. For many years, schools struggled to identify homeless students. Under state law, schools must distribute forms at the beginning of the school year asking families where they live — in their own homes, in motels, doubled-up with other families, in shelters, cars or outdoors. Some schools were less-than-diligent about collecting the form, or reassuring families understood the importance. Often, homeless families were reluctant to submit the form because they were afraid the school might contact a child welfare agency. Immigrant families sometimes feared the school might notify immigration authorities. And some families didn't realize that sharing quarters with another family — by far the most common living situation among homeless families – is technically defined as homeless, at least under McKinney-Vento. A 2021 bill by former Assemblymember Luz Rivas, a Democrat from Arleta in the San Fernando Valley, sought to fix that problem. The bill requires schools to train everyone who works with students — from bus drivers to cafeteria workers to teachers — on how to recognize potential signs of homelessness. That could include families who move frequently or don't reply to school correspondence. The bill seems to have helped. Last year, the state identified 21,000 more homeless students than it had the previous year, even as overall enrollment dropped. Still, that's probably an undercount, researchers said. The actual homeless student population is probably between 5% and10% of those students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, according to the National Center for Homeless Education. In California, that would be a shortfall of up to 138,713 students. Influx of funding Another boost for identifying homeless students came from the American Rescue Plan, the federal COVID-19 relief package. The plan included $800 million for schools to hire counselors or train existing staff to help homeless students. Nearly all schools in California received some money. About 120 districts in California won grant money through the McKinney-Vento Act, which last year dispersed about $15.9 million in California to pay for things like rides to school, backpacks, staff and other services. Districts are chosen on a competitive basis; not all districts that apply receive funds. But those funding sources are drying up. Most of the pandemic relief money has already been spent, and President Donald Trump's recently approved budget does not include McKinney-Vento funding for 2026-27. The cuts come at a time when advocates expect steep increases in the number of homeless families over the next few years, due in part to national policy changes. Republican budget proposals include cuts to Medicaid, food assistance and other programs aimed at helping low-income families, while the immigration crackdown has left thousands of families afraid to seek assistance. For families living on tight budgets, those cuts could lead to a loss of housing. And in California, the shortage of affordable housing continues to be a hurdle for low-income families. Even Kern County, which has traditionally been a less pricey option for families, has seen a spike in housing costs as more residents move there from Los Angeles. Joseph Bishop, an education professor at UCLA and co-author of a recent report on homeless students nationwide, said the loss of government funding will be devastating for homeless students. 'California is the epicenter of the homeless student crisis, and we need targeted, dedicated support,' Bishop said. 'Folks should be extremely alarmed right now. Will these kids be getting the education they need and deserve?' Better food, cleaner bathrooms In Kern County, identification has only been one part of the effort to help homeless students thrive in school. Schools also try to pair them with tutors and mentors, give them school supplies and laundry tokens, and invite them to join a program called Student Voice Ambassadors. There, students can tour local colleges, learn leadership skills and explore career options. As part of the program, staff ask students what would make school more enticing — and then make sure the suggestions happen. At one school, students said they'd go to class if the bathrooms were cleaner. So staff improved the bathrooms. At another school, students wanted better food. They got it. Williams credits the program with reducing absenteeism among homeless students. Two years ago, 45% of Kern County's homeless students were chronically absent. Last year, the number dropped to 39% – still too high, he said, but a significant improvement. 'Without McKinney-Vento funds, the Student Voice Ambassador program would go away,' Williams said. 'How will we keep it going? I don't know.' This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license. Solve the daily Crossword
