New homeless shelters and impacted schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:40% of the children at DC General are under age 2 (as in, age 0 or 1). When you consider the kids who are 2, or 3 but missed the deadline, most kids won't be going to any DCPS or charter school.

Of those that will, they'll be all different ages. Some will want to stay at their current school, some will already be enrolled at the IB school where their shelter is located, and some will enroll as new IB students at the school. But no grade or school is going to get a large influx of homeless children. And if families who enrolled at their new IB school move out of shelter, their kids can finish the school year there, and return at principal's discretion (same as kids who move OOB for other reasons).

None of it sounds unreasonable or too daunting to me. Most schools already have a number of homeless children. The ones that don't certainly have the fundraising and volunteer capacity to provide adequate services to the few kids who would attend.

I hope that DCPS and DCPCS come up with a way to allow these kids into nearby schools where there are programs, even for those where you need to lottery in. I'm guessing that many would be appalled by that, but these kids are some of the ones who would benefit the most from high-quality early childhood education.

Because they are at-risk, they will get preference.

[Anonymous]

They should attend the closest school or subsidized daycare. Where is this bus coming from? Unless they are special needs, there is no 'bus' in DC. The article I read about the homeless women in MD--they were taking the bus with their kids to get to the old school and spending 4 hours a day on that. Ludicrous. The kids need to go to nearest school or the city provide a bus, so these moms or dads can get job training or start a job and start putting away money. What are the conditions for the parents by the way? What are the expectations for how they spend their day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They should attend the closest school or subsidized daycare. Where is this bus coming from? Unless they are special needs, there is no 'bus' in DC. The article I read about the homeless women in MD--they were taking the bus with their kids to get to the old school and spending 4 hours a day on that. Ludicrous. The kids need to go to nearest school or the city provide a bus, so these moms or dads can get job training or start a job and start putting away money. What are the conditions for the parents by the way? What are the expectations for how they spend their day?

If you are homeless you move around a lot and kids needs some stability so it depends on if it is a temp or more long-term arrangement, I think all cases are different but yet 4 hours a day would be ridiculous but so would switching schools every couple of weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They should attend the closest school or subsidized daycare. Where is this bus coming from? Unless they are special needs, there is no 'bus' in DC. The article I read about the homeless women in MD--they were taking the bus with their kids to get to the old school and spending 4 hours a day on that. Ludicrous. The kids need to go to nearest school or the city provide a bus, so these moms or dads can get job training or start a job and start putting away money. What are the conditions for the parents by the way? What are the expectations for how they spend their day?

You clearly know nothing. Keeping the children in the same school provides continuity and stability that their home lives lack. No good comes from yanking them from teachers they know and friends etc.

[Anonymous]

The OP is the worst.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The OP is the worst.

huh?
OP is asking a very valid question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They should attend the closest school or subsidized daycare. Where is this bus coming from? Unless they are special needs, there is no 'bus' in DC. The article I read about the homeless women in MD--they were taking the bus with their kids to get to the old school and spending 4 hours a day on that. Ludicrous. The kids need to go to nearest school or the city provide a bus, so these moms or dads can get job training or start a job and start putting away money. What are the conditions for the parents by the way? What are the expectations for how they spend their day?

Hi, the city provides busing for SN and homeless kids from the shelter. That is already part of the bussing.

[Anonymous]

You folks realize that DC general isn't the only shelter in the city. Yes, they are moving more homeless families into our neighborhoods, but many of you - except maybe Ward 3 - already have shelters in your neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They should attend the closest school or subsidized daycare. Where is this bus coming from? Unless they are special needs, there is no 'bus' in DC. The article I read about the homeless women in MD--they were taking the bus with their kids to get to the old school and spending 4 hours a day on that. Ludicrous. The kids need to go to nearest school or the city provide a bus, so these moms or dads can get job training or start a job and start putting away money. What are the conditions for the parents by the way? What are the expectations for how they spend their day?

Before McKinney-Vento, there were often "schools" in the shelters. They weren't grade-specific, weren't desirable teaching posts, and generally had low expectations. It wasn't a good situation. So the idea that if a family became homeless, the children could continue to attend their school and receive transportation assistance was introduced. As was the ability of families to enroll in the closest school, immediately, even if they didn't have the necessary documentation.

It's not a thing that was put in place to inconvenience you. It was done to offer stability to kids without any.

As for the buses, the services do have to be requested. Sometimes folks ask. Sometimes not.

[Anonymous]

Not OP, but a Ward 3 resident who would welcome homeless children in our JKLM. I am interested in the OP's valid question, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should attend the closest school or subsidized daycare. Where is this bus coming from? Unless they are special needs, there is no 'bus' in DC. The article I read about the homeless women in MD--they were taking the bus with their kids to get to the old school and spending 4 hours a day on that. Ludicrous. The kids need to go to nearest school or the city provide a bus, so these moms or dads can get job training or start a job and start putting away money. What are the conditions for the parents by the way? What are the expectations for how they spend their day?

Before McKinney-Vento, there were often "schools" in the shelters. They weren't grade-specific, weren't desirable teaching posts, and generally had low expectations. It wasn't a good situation. So the idea that if a family became homeless, the children could continue to attend their school and receive transportation assistance was introduced. As was the ability of families to enroll in the closest school, immediately, even if they didn't have the necessary documentation.

It's not a thing that was put in place to inconvenience you. It was done to offer stability to kids without any.

As for the buses, the services do have to be requested. Sometimes folks ask. Sometimes not.

If my tax dollars pay for these improved shelters, which they will, the above should not be a choice. The children should be in the local, walkable school or a city provided bus should pick them up. There should be no 'asking'. Are these subsidized permanent apartments or a transition step to get people to permanent housing? If the latter, a wraparound plan should be provided not 'asked for'. And during the day, the parent should by requirement take classes, work, or get counseling while their child is in school or daycare--as a requirement, and as a good example to their children. Just like I do every day while my child is so I can earn the $ to pay for this. I am seeing holes already in the utility of these mini-shelters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are already a number of threads on this topic. Some start in the political discussion forum, some in off-topic, and some here, because schools. It's the same conversation over and over again.

McKinney-Vento says that students have a right to attend the school assigned to their last address or the school assigned to their current address, whether that's a shelter, a temporary apartment, or some other address.

If a shelter is built within the boundary for Janney, the school-age children living in the shelter have a right to attend Janney. If their parents would prefer that they continue to attend the school they used to live in bounds for, they have a right to attend that school and DC must provide transportation to that school.

Bowser didn't have to think through this. Reagan signed it into law in 1987.

Anyway, maybe read some of the other threads before you get in a tizzy.

Which is a pure hypothetical, because there's no way that a shelter will be built within the Janney district. Mary Cheh and the same people who protected Janney's interests on the school boundary advisory committee will see to that. Absolutely.

[Anonymous]

Homeless shelters be coming to Ward 3. Yep!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are already a number of threads on this topic. Some start in the political discussion forum, some in off-topic, and some here, because schools. It's the same conversation over and over again.

McKinney-Vento says that students have a right to attend the school assigned to their last address or the school assigned to their current address, whether that's a shelter, a temporary apartment, or some other address.

If a shelter is built within the boundary for Janney, the school-age children living in the shelter have a right to attend Janney. If their parents would prefer that they continue to attend the school they used to live in bounds for, they have a right to attend that school and DC must provide transportation to that school.

Bowser didn't have to think through this. Reagan signed it into law in 1987.

Anyway, maybe read some of the other threads before you get in a tizzy.

Which is a pure hypothetical, because there's no way that a shelter will be built within the Janney district. Mary Cheh and the same people who protected Janney's interests on the school boundary advisory committee will see to that. Absolutely.

I believe the proposed shelter site on Idaho would be in Eaton's zone, not Janney's:

http://planning.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dme/publication/attachments/Eaton.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Homeless shelters be coming to Ward 3. Yep!

We actually have a homeless, panhandlers and homeless service centers in ward 3 currently. The addition of these mini shelters is what's being discussed. Its probably an improvement since people wil not be on the street. Unless there is zero requirement to work or study. Then they will be on the stoop. Thats what unemployed people in DC do 'hang out on the corner. ' I'd like to see the actual conditions and services of residency in these shelter. What do the people currently at DC General do all day? What would stay the same or change?