Some children of homeless families attend several schools in a single academic year. The federal Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act protects the rights of homeless children to attend school, regardless of whether their records have been transferred to the nearest school or whether they have an address. Columbus children who move are allowed to remain enrolled in the building where they were. The district generally provides transportation. Despite the educational benefits of a child having a stable classroom and teacher, about half of the homeless families send their children to the buildings closest to wherever they are living at the moment.
Some parents are unaware of the educational rights homeless children have.
The school administration needs to take more measures to educate these families. Mariana Geissel, who coordinates the schooling of homeless children for the district, informs parents of the educational rights of homeless children by posting an announcement at shelters. Superintendent Rosa Smith should help Geissel's important mission by directing principals also to post the information in school offices. Smith also should emphasize to school secretaries and other office workers that they cannot refuse to enroll homeless children because they do not have a stable address. The district also should aggressively support parent-involvement seminars, funded through federal Title I dollars for disadvantaged students, being offered at homeless shelters this summer.