The recent surge of unemployment and foreclosures has had a drastic effect on many schoolchildren, according to The New York Times. More than one million students are left without stable housing.
The number of schoolchildren in homeless families appears to have risen by 75 percent to 100 percent in many districts over the last two years, said the news report. The instability has caused many students to perform poorly in classes.
School districts, such as San Antonio, Texas, have seen an increase in homeless students at the start of the school year. The district enrolled 1,000 homeless students in the first two weeks, which is twice as many as the previous year.
The 2001 “No Child Left Behind”federal law requires every school district to appoint a liaison to the homeless. It is the districts’ responsibility to indentify and aid families that are homeless. Some districts have used federal grants or local money to make the liaison position full time, according to the Times.
For additional information, click here.