Here's What DISD Can Do to Help Homeless Kids Living Alone in Cars Or Parks, Trying Desperately to Get an Education

More than 4,2000 students in Dallas ISD don't stay in the same place every night. They bounce around between shelters and cars, cars and friends. If they are "lucky"— and we use that word advisedly — a parent or a trusted adult accompanies them.But at least 112 Dallas high school students leave classes every day and live alone in a car, on park benches, in abandoned buildings or whatever place that they lay their head. Each evening brings a struggle for survival: Where do I find food? Where do I clean up? Without help, these students risk becoming dropouts, or worse, a dead-end statistic in the criminal justice system. That's why school board trustees should embrace After8ToEducate, an innovative partnership with nonprofits Promise House and CitySquare and the philanthropist group Social Venture Partners Dallas. The deal, tentatively scheduled for a vote next week, would re-purpose Fannie C. Harris Elementary on East Grand Avenue Fair Park neighborhood for students in distress. If school trustees approve, unaccompanied teens would have around-the-clock access to a 35-bed shelter, extra education help, food, laundry, hygiene, clothing and other support services.   Continue reading...