02 May Jennings School District Receives $110,800 Grant from MO DESE

Jennings School District was recently awarded a $110,800 grant from Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to provide services that ensure homeless students have equal access to education without barriers, academic supports which lead to academic achievement, removal of enrollment obstacles, and services and supports that address mind, body, and spirit.

Specifically, this project will focus on the following major needs of homeless children and youth, which have been identified: referred services (dental, medical mental health), senior high student supports, transportation, and student supplies/uniforms.

Jennings homeless students and their family members are in need of a broad range of support services including food, shelter, transportation, medical and mental health assistance, employment, academic support, school access, school stability, and educational services. Program activities are designed to provide homeless students access to an education, meeting educational standards provided to their non-homeless peers.

Program activities include: a needs assessment of all homeless families upon intake, school supplies, uniform assistance, personal care items, referrals to community providers in the areas of mental health, dental, vision, and medical services, senior student supports (college prep classes, ACT/SAT prep, college application fees, senior activities fees), professional development for stakeholders, transportation for parents, parent workshops, education on parent rights in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, and follow-up surveys to assess the effectiveness of programming.

Jennings School District has a long and distinguished history, extending back over 125 years to 1871. The School District of Jennings is located in North St. Louis County and is adjacent to the City of St. Louis. The School District consists of over 3,000 K-12 students. We have eight schools and one alternative program. The Jennings School District engages in the learning process with honesty, creativity, dedication, and respect, and seeks to cultivate an atmosphere of freedom and trust in a safe and nurturing environment.