Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) is bringing attention to the reality of student homelessness for National Homeless Awareness Month.
On Nov. 10, MMSD put up a ribbon display on the front of the Doyle Administrative Building, 545 W. Dayton St., representing students who have and will experience homelessness. The effort comes as part of National Homeless Awareness month as MMSD looks to highlight the unseen, often unrealized experiences that around 5 percent of its students face daily.
“With the big government shut down, I can share one thing with our entire community. The Madison Metropolitan School District has never been shut down, and not only do we see our children and families who are unhoused, but we are also going to make sure that we’re always there for them,” said Dr. Joe Gothard, superintendent of MMSD.
The previous year, MMSD stated that 1,302 students experienced homelessness. This year to date, 640 people are currently experiencing homelessness. The district expects around 1,400 to be impacted by homelessness.
The number comes from identifying students during registration, address changes, sudden changes in academic performance and attendance.
When a student experiences homelessness, schools try to give wrap-around services to families, said Cailin Frantz, a social worker at Mendota Elementary School.
Frantz shared the story of an anonymous student struggling with homelessness last year. The child and their family lived out of their car.
“We really try to wrap ourselves around the family, and that looks like a little bit of everything,” Frantz said. “Whether that was us accessing resources through TEP [Transition Education Program] to do clothing, to do shoes, hygiene products… some of the things the rest of us don’t have to think about.”
Research shows that students who experience homelessness are chronically absent, have lower performance in school and are less likely to graduate, according to School House Connection.
At MMSD, the multicolor display highlighted the range of students who are impacted.
Bright purple ribbons signify students between 4K-5th grade, light purple 6th-8th, purple for high school and tiny ribbons for non-school-aged children that are impacted.
Unique colored ribbons on the display signify unaccompanied youth — an unrealized point that MMSD drew attention to. Around 9 percent of students impacted by homelessness are not in physical custody of their parents or guardians, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
The school district staff and community members tied ribbons onto a line for the display.
