More Dallas Students Homeless

2009-03-01 06:19:09 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - Dallas, News)

Dallas school districts have an increase in the number of homeless students enrolled.

Wired PR News.com – The number of homeless students enrolled in Dallas school districts has increased. As reported by the Dallas Morning News, the districts have seen a higher number of students that are homeless in comparison to numbers from last year. The trend is attributed to the substantial increases in job losses and foreclosures across the nation.

Toni Gallego, a homeless liaison in Irving, is quoted in the report as stating, “It’s not just poor people… It’s middle-class people who have lost their homes, who have put up their homes to rent and are living with their in-laws.”

Mark Pierce, who’s in charge of a homeless education program for DISD, is further quoted as stating of the effects of being homeless on students, “Kids who are homeless tend to change schools a number of times because mom or dad are on the move all the time… Every time they switch schools, they fall behind six weeks in their grade level.”

Many districts take measures to ensure that homeless students are provided with access to the same public education other students receive, as required by law, however, challenges are stated to ensue when students are moved to various schools throughout an academic year.