Rochester School District Gets Grant to Help Students Experiencing Homelessness

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- The Rochester School District (RPS) is among the 22 districts across the state receiving grant dollars to help students experiencing homelessness. 

See Also: Rochester City Leaders Approve Nearly $100 Million Project 

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) announced earlier this week that it had received a $1 million federal competitive grant. The money was allocated through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. 

A spokeswoman for the RPS says the district has received $43,000. A news release issued by the Minnesota Department of Education says the funds sent to RPS and the other districts will go towards providing the following services for students experiencing homelessness:

Supporting shelter-based tutoring programs

Collaborating with early childhood programs to improve identification of preschool        children

Providing bilingual support to meet the needs of new-to-country arrivals

Providing staff professional development to raise awareness about the needs and rights of homeless children and youth

Removing transportation barriers

Providing school supplies and other resources for student success

Implementing activities to improve immediate enrollment and identification

Supporting family engagement

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RPS says about 100 students in the district are currently experiencing homelessness at the moment. District officials conduct the count throughout the school year and anticipate that figure to rise. 

That number was roughly 600 at the end of the previous school year, RPS says. The district's enrollment is over 17,000 students according to the most recent data.  

Statewide MDE says 17,774 students experienced homelessness at some point during the last school year. That’s about 1.5% of students across Minnesota, according to state education officials.