Staggering new numbers released by Los Angeles Unified School District show a 50% increase in the homeless student population. The district has identified 17,258 students as homeless. This is a crisis that must be addressed. The 74 has posted an article about the rise in homeless students and does a good job of explaining why these numbers are actually not as alarming on paper as they should be.
Sadly, despite this large increase (up from 11,481) since the 2014–15 school year, LAUSD isn’t even in the top 10 of schools with homeless students. Why? Because it’s size. Approximately 640,000 students attend LAUSD schools. But make no mistake, a 6% homeless student population is a big deal.
LAUSD School Board must tackle this and make it a priority! Local legislators should convene a roundtable with local elected officials including the County Board of Supervisors to come up with a plan of action to address this immediately.
We are including a resource here for teachers who want information on how to identify and help their homeless students.
We are all in this together with you. We want to be a resource for you and for all of the children you love. Whether you need some info or you have info to share, you know where to go…LA Comadre.