Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Charter school kept two homeless children out of class for a month because they didn’t have uniforms | The Lens

Charter school kept two homeless children out of class for a month because they didn’t have uniforms | The Lens:

Charter school kept two homeless children out of class for a month because they didn’t have uniforms


The state Department of Education cited Sophie B. Wright Charter School for keeping two homeless students out of class for a month because they didn’t have school uniforms.
The agency informed the Uptown charter school in May that it had violated the terms of its charter agreement by failing to follow a federal law that requires schools to change policies that impede homeless students from learning or attending school.
The mother of the two students contacted the Recovery School District on Feb. 8. She said her children were prevented from starting school at Wright because they didn’t have uniforms.
The Recovery School District oversees the school, which serves grades 7 through 12.
Education department employees told school staff twice that the children were considered homeless and the school should accommodate them. On Feb. 16, an education department staffer told the school to provide the children with uniforms, using federal funds dedicated for homeless students.
Yet, the children “were told on at least one occasion by Wright staff that they could not attend school until the uniforms were Charter school kept two homeless children out of class for a month because they didn’t have uniforms | The Lens: