school

By Steven Yoder

By Kim Schneider Grace, a 17-year-old from Duluth, Minnesota, is preparing for her final year at Denfeld High School. The past year has brought nothing but turmoil for the teen and this school year promises more uncertainty. 

By Kim Schneider As the start of school begins, Minnesota’s state child welfare agency is leaving much of the COVID-19 decision-making about youth in foster care returning to the classroom to county social services. 

First grade ended on a low note in June for Minda Briaddy’s 7-year-old daughter, who joined the family from foster care at age 4 and is now being adopted. After her in-person classes and special education services ended abruptly due to the coronavirus pandemic, her elementary school in New York’s Adirondack Mountains sent home three bulging envelopes stuffed with worksheets for her to complete at home on her own.

Amid ongoing protests against police brutality and racial injustice, two of California’s largest school districts  this week joined other education leaders across the country pressured to rethink their policing of students.

As a 10th grader at Sacramento’s Luther Burbank High School, Stephanie Lopez remembers when she saw a school resource officer treat her brother like a criminal. Her brother had bumped into the officer and apologized, Lopez said.

A recent federal report found administrative and financial obstacles challenged the ability to keep foster youth in their school of origin. Los Angeles might emerge as a pioneer on fighting those barriers, now that one of the largest school districts in the nation has approved its share of a five-year, at least $14 million transportation plan for these students.

The Imprint is highlighting each of the policy recommendations made this summer by the participants of the Foster Youth Internship Program (FYI), a group of 10 former foster youths who have completed congressional internships.

Youth who identify as LGBTQ are very likely to be bullied, teased or rejected because of their status, according to a recent report by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). HRC and the University of Connecticut conducted a survey of more 12,000 LGBTQ youth from all 50 states and Washington, D.C.