Number Of Homeless Oregon Students Rises 134 Percent In 7 Years

In Oregon, the number of homeless students has reached a record high, with one in 20 students without a stable home in some districts.

KTVZ News reports,

During the 2009-10 school year, 19,040 homeless students attended Oregon public schools, a 5.5 percent increase from last year. The percentage of homeless students in Oregon has increased 134 percent since the state began counting seven years ago.

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act requires school districts across the nation to provide equal access to education for homeless students. In Oregon, education leaders are going the extra mile to help homeless students feel secure. The district school buses pick up students living at shelters first and drop them off last, in the hopes of helping students not become ostracized by their peers because of their struggles.

Bend-La Pine Schools' Dana Arntson told KTVZ News,

"We're working to make sure that students know they have a safe place to be every day[...] In most of our schools, we're feeding them breakfast and lunch."

Read the full story on KTVZ News.