California’s Homeless Students

LYLLI DOUNG STAFF WRITER
From 2014 to 2016, the number of homeless students, in California, increased 20 percent. According to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the most recent data showed that 202,329 young people were homeless or had to live with other families. The parents of students are asked to be truthful about the student’s living situations, but sometimes the parents are afraid the government will take away their child and deport them.
“The most important factor for our school district is to identify any of our students who may be homeless,” World history teacher Christopher Cosbey said. “Once identified, we can utilize programs and resources to assist these students and their families.”
Schools are required by law to help students and their families by using state and federal funds to provide them with services and materials such as tutoring, transportation and school supplies. An analysis by Edsource shows that more than a quarter of schools in California do not report the presence of homeless students. As a result, these students are provided no aid.
“The school board should assist the students and their families with more necessities than just school supplies and transportation,” sophomore Isaac Olague said. “The board should even help the families financially, for example allowing the parents to work for the school board.”
In 2015, California’s state data showed that 86 percent of students were not traditionally homeless, but they had to live with other families. This rarely allows a student to attempt to do school work with all the distractions in the background. Homeless students are more likely to struggle during school and drop out compared to their peers.