Across the country, children are being kicked out of school when they become homeless.
It’s not something you hear talked about much. Maybe that’s because homelessness in general is ignored in our public discourse. This may even be the first time you’re hearing about it.
Under federal law, children have the right to remain in the same school when they become homeless. Schools are also required to provide free transportation, meals, and access to extra-curricular activities. This provides vital stability when the rest of their lives have been turned upside down.
Unfortunately, a lot of schools either don’t know about or simply ignore their obligations to homeless children. That’s why we’ve launched Project LEARN, a cutting-edge initiative to keep these kids in the classroom. We’re working with attorneys from across the country to provide legal advocacy to homeless families and train school officials to follow the law.
I can’t stress how important this is. Studies show that kids who are forced to repeatedly change schools are 50 percent less likely to graduate high school. Worse, people who don’t graduate are more than twice as likely to slip into poverty in a single year, and live 9.2 years fewer on average.
Think about that: kicking a homeless child out of school may result in them dying almost ten years earlier than other kids. Are we really going to let that happen?
You can help. By becoming a member of Project LEARN, you’ll be giving a helping hand to the more than one million homeless children in America.
They’re dreaming of tomorrow, but they need your help today.
To find out more about Project LEARN and how you can support this critical work, click here.