The Los Angeles Unified School District is taking a new step to address chronic absenteeism by offering free clothing and toiletries to families in need.
LAUSD has seen a 50% increase in students experiencing homelessness over the past three years. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said that statistic “should not exist in our communities.”
“Many of these families do not have the resources to provide for their own children,” he said. “No child should feel inadequate. No child should have to go to school without the appropriate clothing or shoes.”
The solution: the district has opened free boutiques stocked with new clothes and shoes from brands like Vans, Levi’s, and Adidas. It was made possible with federal money from the American Rescue Plan.
“We are working to get donations from corporate entities to continue these types of services when these funds expire,” Carvalho said.
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