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work. if we see their attendance is a little off, we contact the parents and the school. if we see their grades are dropping, we ask the parent if it?s okay if we talk to the teacher so they can know what?s going on.? the homeless
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also trains administrators and faculty to look for signs of homelessness among their students. lemon says the program depends on school faculty to tell them about the kids who need help. ?if you have a child coming to your class and you notice they are extra hungry or looking extra sleepy, we want to know. a referral can come from anybody.? such housing insecurity wears on children, especially when they must switch schools often. in fact, an expert panel report from loyola university found that students who switch schools suffer psychologically, socially, academically, are more likely to repeat grades, and will have lower math/reading scores. ?parents think if they don?t have a proof of residence or social security card or birth certificate, and they?re told that they can?t enroll in school, then that?s the end. i want people to know that even without those documents, we can help, you can still enroll in school. they still have the right to be in school until you get all of those things,? says lemon. for homeless parents who need assistance enrolling children in schools, they can call the homeless program. once a student is identified as homeless, the homeless program will check on them throughout the year, even if the family finds permanent housing. the program staff goes to the schools, checks in with the students, and talks to them one on one to make sure that everything?s going okay. they provide that extra emotional support. barriers in baton rouge though homelessness is a problem in most places, in baton rouge, there aren?t many resources for the homeless. according to dr. hunter, ?the lack of affordable housing, lack of transportation, lack of jobs with sufficient wages, and the large amount of poverty in baton 5 0 b r p a r e n t s . c o m | s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 8
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