No Child Left Behind Requires Immed. Enrollment of Students Displaced by Katrina

Washington, DC - A provision authored by U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R-IL-13) in the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act could serve as a critical first step in meeting the educational needs of elementary and secondary students displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Biggert, a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, sponsored legislation included in the No Child Left Behind Act that created the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program. The program requires that school districts immediately enroll homeless children, including victims of natural disasters, without waiting for proof of residency, birth certificates, and immunization records. This provides children with much-needed stability and allows for the delivery of other critical services such as healthcare and counseling.

"When we included this provision in NCLB, we frankly never contemplated that it could be so useful and effective in this time of national crisis," Biggert said. "We have happily discovered over recent days that this measure has provided a ready-made system of communication contacts and information networks that could serve us very well in this time of need."

The Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program also addresses school transportation issues, assures that eligible children participate in federal, state, and local food programs, and allows for frequent moving as evacuated families find more permanent housing.

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http://judybiggert.house.gov/News.asp?FormMode=Detail&ID=557