Wednesday - Day 66 - Check This Box!

I registered James for a Pre-k summer program and Kindergarten today.  Overall, I was not expecting to have any road blocks, however I did discover a few things along the way which were alarming.

I had previously spoken to the registrar on the phone and she was aware of our current living arrangements. She asked I bring in two proofs of residence, which could include our campground payment receipt.  I also brought with me a mailing label, for a work related package, John received at the campground this week.

Along with the usually medical records, birth certificate and forms to fill out I was all set.  My proof of residence copied for the files.  It was all acceptable and the staff was extremely nice to work with and they were wonderful to both boys.

The piece which disturbed me was the section of the school application categorizing my son as homeless because we live in a campground.  The next section offered explanation for his homelessness, for example, a natural disaster, unable to afford adequate housing or abandonment.  Nowhere did it state ‘just because we choose to’ or ‘in between houses’.  Per federal law, my son was considered homeless and he would be counted as so in national statistics.  That is of course if I filled the forms in correctly.

“Under federal law, children are considered homeless when they lack "fixed, regular and adequate night-time residence."   (No Child Left Behind: TITLE VII-B OF THE MCKINNEY-VENTO HOMELESS ASSISTANCE ACT)

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/homeless/guidance.pdf

"..... that includes children whose families share temporary housing with others; stay in shelters, motels or campgrounds; spend their nights in cars, parks or other public places; and children who are abandoned or awaiting foster-care placement.”   (excerpt from article by Linda Trimble, entire article linked to quote)


I was so appalled at what I was reading I left it all blank.  I am unsure if the woman who reviewed the paperwork made any changes, because I was too busy trying to keep Ty happy.  For all I know James has a scarlet “H” on his back for "Homelessness." I can’t help but consider, could this be to our advantage if his teachers knew? Will he receive special attention, additional help if he needed it?

As a mother there was no way I would ever fill out paperwork stating my child was homeless.  My son has a wonderful home with his family and his pets.  He absolutely has an ‘adequate night-time residence.”  He may be living in a campground, but he is not living in a tent by any means.  He is happy and well adjusted because his parents are present in his life.  It makes me sad for the children who are truly homeless; this is how statistics get misinterpreted.  This is why many full-timers home school or put their children in private schools.  They are not subjected to these standards.

At the same time, I also noted the boxes for the parents who are divorced and their child does not live with them.  I imagined being forced to fill in those boxes and how much more difficult it would be if James was from a “broken home.”  Another label many more children are pushed to live with.  With the homelessness lingering on my mind, I felt more fortunate I did not have a child whose parents were divorced, their primary residence living with only parent.  The registrar specifically asked me if I was divorced, I am pretty certain it was a standard question, however, it may be because she thought my son was homeless.  My response was a quick, "No. Thank God!”

(For additional information click the links I've included above, and visit Education Homeless Children)