This story was originally published on Minnesota Reformer. [1]
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Minnesota to receive $8 million in federal aid for homeless students
By:   ['Rilyn Eischens Is A Data Reporter With The Reformer. Rilyn Is A Minnesota Native', 'Has Worked In Newsrooms In The Twin Cities', 'Iowa', 'Texas', 'Most Recently Virginia', "Where She Covered Education For The Staunton News Leader. She'S An Alumna Of The Dow Jones News Fund Data Journalism Program", "The Minnesota Daily. When Rilyn Isn'T In The Newsroom", 'She Likes To Read', 'Add To Her Plant Collection', 'Try New Recipes.']
Date: None

Minnesota will receive more than $8.6 million in federal relief funds for students experiencing homelessness, the White House announced Friday.

The American Rescue Plan directs $800 million to schools to identify and provide services to homeless students. States will receive a portion of the funding this month and the remainder in June.

“As districts and schools return to in-person learning, we must act with urgency to provide all students, including students experiencing homelessness, equitable access to high-quality learning environments and the resources to help meet their basic needs which schools often provide,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a news release.

Minnesota school districts have been concerned to see dwindling numbers of students identified as homeless this year, even as more families are struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic, the Reformer reported in March.

As of Oct. 1, 2020, school districts across Minnesota had identified 6,200 students as homeless — a 30% drop from fall 2019.

Federal law requires school districts to identify and enroll homeless youth, but distance learning has made it more difficult for teachers and staff to identify homeless students and connect with students whose phone numbers or addresses have changed. Experts say some students are likely going without services entitled to them by federal law, and that others may have dropped out of school entirely.

[1] Url: https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/minnesota-to-receive-8-million-in-federal-aid-for-homeless-students/