Helping students experiencing housing insecurity was the goal of a recent seminar for school administrators. Lake Central School Superintendent Dr. Larry Veracco says 133 school officials from 20 area districts gathered at Lake Central High School earlier this month for a McKinney-Vento Act workshop.
"The key during the morning session was that schools need to remove barriers to enrollment, and that means not expecting people to have their paperwork typed when they are going through a real rough patch," Veracco told the Lake Central School Board on Monday.
Veracco said families who temporarily move in with relatives can qualify for help but often don't seek it. "They have pride, and we understand that. But there are some opportunities for them to save on lunch costs and reduced textbook, as well, if they are willing to share with us where they stand," Veracco explained.
He says Northwest Indiana school officials had a chance to hear from their counterparts in Central Indiana, where schools have come up with innovative ways to give students a stable learning environment. "They are very creative with using retirees to drive, paying parents mileage, using Ubers, all sorts of things to get kids to the school that they feel they need to stay in for stability purposes," Veracco said.
Going forward, Veracco hopes to hold similar gatherings for school leaders every few years.
