To the editor:
Regarding the Nov. 21 story from Danvers headlined, "Town could ask state to pay to send kids living in motels to school":
It is a tragedy that, because of the economy, so many families are living in shelters and motels and not in homes of their own, in the community of their choosing. It is also a tragedy that the cost of providing support to these families is so high that families cannot access the full range of services they need to move toward housing and economic stability.
But the biggest tragedy of all is that students experiencing homelessness — students who are incredibly vulnerable and living highly unstable lives through no fault of their own — are considered a financial burden.
It's clear that the current system of paying for transporting and educating students experiencing homelessness is far from ideal. The state needs to share costs for educating students experiencing homelessness, especially when it is the state that is placing families in shelters outside their original community. A system with more equitable and sustainable ways of sharing expenses needs to be developed.
Unfortunately, it seems that the focus on students' educations — which is really what is at stake here — may be lost in the panic over the bottom line.
The law requires Massachusetts to transport students experiencing homelessness to school.
But don't we also have a societal and moral obligation to do this?
Regardless of the financial cost, shouldn't we prioritize educating our children — especially those who are most in need of an education? Without an education, children cannot break the cycle of poverty and we all will continue to pay the financial and social price that poverty inflicts.
If we don't educate our most vulnerable students, the cost to our bottom line — and to their lives — will be far greater than $130,000 a year.
Robyn Frost
Executive Director
Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
Lynn
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