Creating a safe harbor for homeless students
At the MISD the homeless education project liaison works
with both Macomb County schools and the community to assist homeless
students and their families. One of Kathy Kropf's roles as liaison is to
make districts aware of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Students Assistance Act and to help schools comply with
No Child Left Behind Law. The act requires
that homeless students have a legal right to:
-
enroll
without a permanent address or proof of residency;
-
enroll first, and request school records later;
-
offer
free or reduced lunch to homeless students immediately, and -
if available, breakfast - sometimes the only food these children
will have in a day;
-
give
parents a voice in deciding between the children's original school
district or the one where parents have found temporary shelter;
-
receive
transportation to and from their school of origin if requested;
-
provide
special services, preschool, after-school programs and all other
normal school services to homeless students - immediately.
Kathy Kropf goes
beyond the requirements of the law. She supplies students with backpacks
and school supplies, clothing and/or shoes. Community members also
contact Kathy with Christmas gifts or subsidies for summer camp for
elementary homeless students. She can also link homeless children and
their families to social services agencies that can help with emergency
food, shelter, dental, medical and optical care.
Educators and
community organizations may contact Kathy for presentations on the
project and for information on fostering success among homeless
students. She can also provide information on the developmental,
psychological and behavioral problems that arise from the chaos in the
lives of these children.
For more
information, contact:
Kathleen Kropf, Homeless Education
Liaison
Consultant Services Dept.
Macomb Intermediate School District
44001 Garfield Rd.
Clinton Township, MI 48038-1100
586-228-3490
or
kkropf@misd.net
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