Roughly 1 in every 11 of the nearly 26,000 students enrolled in Manteca Unified schools meet the federal definition of experiencing homelessness every school year.

The district ended last school year with 2,304 students identified by the parameters of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act as experiencing homelessness including brief periods of time.

The students are spread out between the communities of Manteca, Lathrop, South Stockton (Weston Ranch) and rural areas with 32 campuses across 113 square miles.

The definition covers students not having a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.

That includes:

*children of migrant farmworkers of which MUSD typically has 200 plus a year.

*youth sharing the housing of other persons due to housing or economic hardships.

*those that are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, and shelters.

*foster youth.

*those living in private or public places not designed primarily for housing.

*any student living in cars, public places such as parks, campgrounds or substandard housing.

*refugees, foreign and domestic. During the aftermath of the Katrina disaster in New Orleans in 2005, as an example, upwards of 100 students plus their families moved in with relatives, friends or strangers opened their homes primarily in the Weston Ranch area in south Stockton.

As of the last week of August, the district has identified 559 students as experiencing homelessness and enrolled them in programs aimed at reducing barriers to regular school attendance as well as added barriers posing a challenge to their academic success.

Students have to be re-identified each school year through individual contact.

Typically, the district accomplishes the identification process by the end of September.

The ranks of students that are considered under federal law as dealing with homelessness has increased almost by 1,000 students since the 2022-2023 school year.

The majority of the services provided are school supplies, clothing and shoes, basic hygiene items and transportation.

Teachers, in the past, have noted when students get something as simple as shoes that fit that aren’t too tight or else have lost a lot of their effectiveness at providing comfortable support and aren’t falling apart that their attention in class is improved and helped them do better with academic subjects.

It’s an extension of free school meals for all students that helps take being hungry off the table as a distraction during class or when studying.

The district also offers support through crisis situations by assisting with connections to community partners, housing resources, food bank information, and more based on need.

Arguably, the most effective and consistent component is making sure such students get to school.

They are provided transportation — if needed — to continue attending the same school that they start out in regardless of how their living situation shifts. That includes if they move out-of-district but are nearby such as in Stockton.

By providing transportation their situation doesn’t interrupt their school year, create a barrier to attending, or force them to attend another school.

The goal is to take steps necessary to assure impacted students have the ability to master grade level learning targets by minimizing living situations that can make that hard or even impossible to do.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com