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Federal government worked out a statistic about schoolchildren - students K-12. At some point in the school year, roughly 1.4 million students are homeless. Federal law provides extra help to make sure they get an education. That law is overseen by the U.S. Education Department, which the Trump administration wants to close. reporter Lee Gaines says the administration has not revealed what will happen to this resource.
LEE GAINES, BYLINE: Megan Mainzer greets families in Spanish as they arrive at the Island Oasis.
MEGAN MAINZER: Buenas tardes.
GAINES: It's a food and clothing pantry Mainzer helped create inside Middletown High School in Southern Rhode Island. There's shirts and pants and shoes, fresh produce, a freezer with meat and seafood, a fridge with milk and eggs, and plenty of snacks.
MAINZER: I always try and have packages of food that is already made for our motel families.
DIANA: She's a really nice person with us, and she helps us a lot.
GAINES: Ninth-grader Diana came to the pantry with her dad. Her family of four is from Guatemala. They rent a single room in a house, and she says the pantry is a crucial resource.
DIANA: Because we can get more money to pay the house and we don't spend that - a lot of money on food.
JOHN: Well, it's definitely made a huge difference.
GAINES: John and his 11-year-old son also rely on the pantry because they've been living in motels since the pipes burst in their home last December.
JOHN: Hotels are not cheap, so a lot of money goes there, and I have a pride thing, so I feel like I won't reach out, but they reach out to me.
GAINES: According to federal education law, both John and Diana's families are considered homeless. They ask that NPR not use their full names because of the stigma associated with that. A federal law, known as the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, offers extra support for students experiencing homelessness. That includes requiring school districts to have McKinney-Vento liaisons, like Megan Mainzer, who identify and work with these students. The law also includes a federal grant program.
MAINZER: It pays for the Boys & Girls Club scholarships some of the kids have after school. It pays for transportation.
GAINES: It also pays for hotspots, groceries and gas for families. Mainzer says they also use some of the funds to help manage the pantry. Last year, Congress set aside $129 million to support students like Diana. As President Trump works to close the U.S. Education Department, which oversees McKinney-Vento, the administration hasn't shared any plans for what will happen to the program. Neither the department nor the White House responded to NPR's request for comment. Meanwhile, across the country, Mainzer's fellow McKinney-Vento liaisons are on edge.
SUSIE TERRY: It's terrifying.
GAINES: Susie Terry is the coordinator for homeless education services for the San Diego County Office of Education, which has identified more than 23,000 students experiencing homelessness.
TERRY: All of it keeps me up at night. I think that the dismantling of the department and/or the dismantling of the program - the funding for the program is probably my biggest concern right now.
GAINES: In Southern Oklahoma, Ardmore City schools has identified about 150 students experiencing homelessness. Sabre Emde is the McKinney-Vento liaison for Ardmore.
SABRE EMDE: If we didn't have this program, there would be higher rates of students who just flat out weren't attending school.
AARON TANG: It's unconscionable that they should have to worry their mission is at risk.
GAINES: Aaron Tang is an expert in education law at the University of California Davis. He's worried that the Trump administration might unilaterally refuse to send McKinney-Vento funding to states. That could have dire consequences for children.
TANG: Every time you raise a barrier to funding a program, it increases the odds that the program's recipients - the folks who are supposed to be served - the kids, in this case - won't get the services they need.
GAINES: This week, a group of House Democrats and a couple Republicans issued a letter urging their colleagues to support the law and increase federal investment in it. In the meantime, the people who work with students experiencing homelessness don't know whether the federal government will continue to support them. For NPR News, I'm Lee Gaines. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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