This month’s interview features Estella Garza, Family Student Support Coordinator at San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD). Ms. Garza, who has been with SAISD since 1995, holds a master’s degree in social work and has 30 years of experience in her field. Her primary professional objectives are “advocacy and assisting any oppressed population in the community.”

Question: What services do you and SAISD extend to students who are enduring homelessness?

Ms. Garza: All students identified as being homeless are provided with school supplies, uniforms if needed, and referrals and follow up to community resources such as shelter, health and dental care, crisis management, housing, social services, etc. The staff works with teachers, principals, counselors, social workers, and other campus staff members to provide immediate enrollment, appropriate education placement, and other needed services. Those temporarily residing in shelters receive after-school tutorials. During the summer, they are taken on educational field trips to museums, banks, the electric company, petting zoos, dairy farms, and so on.

Much work has been done to promote awareness and sensitivity. More than 30 training sessions have been held this year, the majority occurring within the district and attended by principals, enrollment personnel, counselors, social workers, nurses, and other administrative staff. Several training sessions involved community coalitions and organizations such as Victim’s Advocacy Council, the local Continuum of Care, and the homeless coalition. Regional training (Region 20 Education Service Center) provided to homeless liaisons and transportation personnel underscored the protocol for transporting children in homeless situations to their schools of origin. Forms, logistics, and other details were freely shared among the Northside, North East, and San Antonio attendees.

Another resource is the San Antonio Area Homeless Education Council (SAAHEC), created four years ago by three homeless liaisons and funded by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act. The council includes representatives from agencies in the area that provide social services, health and dental services, mental health counseling, child protective services, shelters, foster care, juvenile probation, etc. Meetings are held bi-monthly and focus on the educational needs of children in homeless situations. Liaisons from all fifteen Bexar county local educational agencies (LEAs)—known as the Executive Board—participate in the collaborative. Recently, the Executive Board compiled a report on “Homelessness in the Schools,” a study that shows how many students in Bexar County have been identified as being homeless and notes their participation in the teen parenting program and special education services.

Question: What is the strongest skill that you bring to your position, and how has it made your job easier for both you and the homeless students you work with?

Ms. Garza: I think the strongest skill I have is being able to see a broad picture of how the program interacts with others in the district and with other districts and organizations. To support students in homeless situations, we work closely with the early childhood, teen parenting, migrant, special education, student data, and health services programs. We modified our enrollment procedures for special programs to help us identify and service eligible students.

SAISD has significantly influenced the way that other districts work with students in homeless situations. Support to other districts have been provided to implement transportation, after-school tutorials, school supplies and uniforms, and educational field trips. Procedural instructions, forms, trainings, and so on have been shared with the various LEAs in the Bexar County area.

Question:How many homeless students are enrolled in SAISD schools? How many of these are in special education classes?

Ms. Garza: SAISD enrolls approximately 56,000 students. This year, SAISD identified 2,238 homeless students; 154 were identified as needing special education classes.

Question: How does SAISD identify students—homeless or otherwise—who require special education classes?

Ms. Garza: Students are identified at the campus through Student Support Teams. This identification process, which occurs in various forms throughout Texas, involves a team of professionals that includes the principal or school administrator, a counselor, a social worker, a teacher, and any other person who may have some knowledge of the child. The process, which can take up to six weeks, begins with the child in mind and identifies any needs the child may have. Any time that the program staff is made aware of a homeless student who may need our services, they will outreach to the child and parent(s). Program staff will advocate for educational, social/emotional, or health (physical/mental) services or for any other type of support the student or family may need. Other needs addressed are eye and ear screenings, 504 eligibility, social services needs, tutorials, etc. A parent may request this service verbally or in writing from the school counselor or other professional or school administrator.

Question: Does your position involve you in the educational challenges inherent in teaching special education students? In what way(s)?

Ms. Garza: My role is not directly involved with the child; however, my staff members work with these children. In most cases, the situations that come to me are the most challenging—that is, in cases where the children, according to my staff and myself, are in critical situations. Each year, one or two children merit immediate attention. These children usually demonstrate severe misconduct and absolute attentiveness in the same day, they exhibit suicidal ideations, and they have been diagnosed with ADHD and other disorders. Parents are called to school several times a week to pick up their child due to their behaviors. The staff works with campus personnel to initiate the student support process. Nonetheless, in several instances, I have had to step in and work with the campus and special education personnel to expedite the student support process. I do not like to do this; however, I will definitely advocate for the best possible educational setting for the homeless child.

Question: Are the challenges faced by homeless special education students different from those of their non-homeless counterparts? How so?

Ms. Garza: Every child must undergo the student support process if their needs merit. I cannot say with any certainty that the children in homeless situations take a longer time or less time to undergo this process.

The homeless special education student, however, has two issues to deal with that distinguish him or her from the non-homeless student. The homeless special education student resides in limbo. Their parent has other issues that are more important to address than the child’s educational needs. In known instances, these children are maintained in the school of origin through school transportation. The SAISD has been able to connect with the special education office to support the school of origin for the special education child whose educational needs are being addressed through special campuses. It is well documented that the homeless child has a much higher propensity to be sickly (asthma, stomach problems, ear infections, etc.) and to be absent from school.

Question: How are Title I and/or McKinney-Vento funds used to assist the needs of homeless students who also have special educational needs?

Ms. Garza: SAISD practices the school-wide approach to Title 1 services. This means that every campus receives Title 1 funds that are used to serve every child in the campus. Title 1 also provides funding that supports school supplies and/or school uniforms. McKinney-Vento funds are used to support their social/emotional health, after-school tutorials, and other needed services identified for those who temporarily reside at the shelters.

Question: How do the academic requirements of students enrolled in special education classes compare with those of mainstream students?

Ms. Garza: Academic requirements of special education students are individually identified according to the IEP (Individual Education Plan). The education received by any special education student varies according to the student and their disability as per federal law. An IEP is planned with the intent of successful grade completion and eventual graduation.

Question: Are the standards used to determine if special education students are ready to advance to the next grade level—or to graduate with a high school diploma—modified to compensate for individual disabilities? If so, how are these adjustments determined?

Ms. Garza: Yes, modifications are made, given the individual child’s disability. The whole educational framework of a special education student is addressed to ensure the appropriate educational placement and instruction for that student. An IEP is individually prepared for each student during an ARD (Admission, Review, and Dismissal) meeting. At this meeting, the parent, the parent’s representative (legal counsel or other representative, if the parent desires), a school administrator, special education personnel, school counselor, and social worker meet to discuss the particular educational needs of the child. The end results is the IEP, which legally must be followed through the end of that academic year, until the child moves to another campus, or if there is a change in the disability of the child. Sometimes these meetings can be quick and short, and sometimes they can go on for several hours or even days.

Question: Based on your familiarity with homeless students who have special education needs, relate an anecdote involving a special education student who, in spite of a notable learning disability, achieved a remarkable academic success.

Ms. Garza: Several years ago, we received a phone call from a school counselor at one of our middle schools advising us that a family (a mother, two middle-school-age boys, and an 18-year-old daughter who was a high school dropout with a two-year-old child) was living in a garage. One of the boys was eligible for special education. A program staff member tried to help the resistant mother secure emergency housing (shelter) along with other family needs. A child protective service (CPS) report was required due to neglect. As a result, CPS removed the boys to a local shelter until they could be placed in foster care with a relative. The teen parent received services through another local shelter for mothering teens and was supported through the GED program. While the boys were at the shelter, SAISD transported them to the school of origin through the end of the school year.

Several months later, the school counselor called and reported that the boys were doing well academically and would be passing to the next grade. Although the foster care placement did not work out, the boys appeared to be adjusted and stable.