I wanted to bring this to your attention because we have a homeless student population in the district. Our community has also started to see an uptick in students and families seeking refuge from war-torn countries such as Ukraine and Venezuela, and more students and families who could use our help just to get by due to economic instability. This is especially important as we think about and nurture the social-emotional learning needs of our students and what their life is like outside of the school day hours.
During the 2019–20 school year, public schools identified over 1.3 million students who experienced homelessness, or 2.5% of all students enrolled in public schools. Youth and young adults who experience homelessness are much less likely to remain and excel in school than their stably housed peers.
That being said, I would like to ask all of our teachers and staff to consider signs of homelessness and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) needs as you interact with our students daily. This document from the National Center for Homeless Education can help you look for warning signs and provide tips for identifying homeless children and youth in your classrooms or around the school.
If you suspect that a student might fall into this category based on your observations or interactions with their parents, please let your building principal or social worker know what led you to believe that you have a student who may be homeless or in need of additional resources. They can follow up on it and get in touch with our student information department if necessary, in order to make sure students have what they need, when they need it, in the way they need it to succeed.
Since you are on the front lines for identifying our students in need each day, we need your eyes and ears to help us meet the needs of all of our students—even if they don't think they have a need themselves.
During the 2019–20 school year, public schools identified over 1.3 million students who experienced homelessness, or 2.5% of all students enrolled in public schools. Youth and young adults who experience homelessness are much less likely to remain and excel in school than their stably housed peers.
That being said, I would like to ask all of our teachers and staff to consider signs of homelessness and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) needs as you interact with our students daily. This document from the National Center for Homeless Education can help you look for warning signs and provide tips for identifying homeless children and youth in your classrooms or around the school.
If you suspect that a student might fall into this category based on your observations or interactions with their parents, please let your building principal or social worker know what led you to believe that you have a student who may be homeless or in need of additional resources. They can follow up on it and get in touch with our student information department if necessary, in order to make sure students have what they need, when they need it, in the way they need it to succeed.
Since you are on the front lines for identifying our students in need each day, we need your eyes and ears to help us meet the needs of all of our students—even if they don't think they have a need themselves.
Please click here to learn the definitions of homelessness and learn ways to make yourself familiar with some of the tell-tale signs that can help to identify our students in need. It could mean all the difference to that child and/or family.
Since teachers are in the business of making a difference in children's lives, you are the perfect person to do this!
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