10.18.2021 | PIX 11 | Homeless students have long faced barriers to education and now New York City advocated are worried about their low attendance rates at school. 

The average attendance rate for the first weeks of the academic year was about 75 percent, according to a new study by Advocates for Children of New York (AFC.) Last winter and spring, the overall monthly attendance rates for students in shelter were lower than those for any other student group. 

The Department of Education’s shelter-based support system is insufficient, AFC Director of Learners in Temporary Housing Project Jennifer Pringle. She called for dedicated staff on the ground in shelters to connect students with schools and support networks. 

“Children get one shot at a quality education, and every day a student is absent is a day of instruction they can never get back,” Pringle said. Ver video