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It's Time To Help The Homeless Students Of Pasco County

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By RAO MUSUNURU

For The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 27, 2008

I don't cry easily. I'm not supposed to - I belong to the male gender. (Even though, it is as healthy to cry as a good laugh, under the right circumstances.) I cannot afford to - I deal with people during the worst crises of their lives, including death, day in and day out, and I'm expected to be strong and supportive. But I confess, I do get choked up many times. There are times when just emotion is not enough, one is compelled to follow with an action.

I experienced one of those moments, last month, after having a conversation with the Pasco Superintendent Heather Fiorentino, at the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce annual banquet - not about her funding issues or political concerns but about the performance and future of schoolchildren. I serve on the Pasco-Hernando Community College board, and I'm very interested in public education and the welfare of students.

One of her comments caught my attention and got me very upset: "Some of the bright students that start out with a high academic performance at the beginning of the school year, do very poorly by the time Christmas comes around. They do not even seem to do their homework."

There is a perfectly logical explanation, except that I could not have guessed it. The students cannot do their homework or studying, as their parents won't let them light candles. They don't have a home, they live out of their cars. As the year progresses, with the time change, it gets dark earlier.

Yes! There are plenty of homeless students in the Pasco County schools, more than 1,800 last year, out of more than 70,000 students enrolled in the pre-kindergarten to 12th grade. This is not a new phenomenon related to the current bad economy.

The word homeless tends to bring out the images of drunken, dirty, drug-dependent or psychotic individuals talking to themselves on a street corner. That is a definite minority. Most of the homeless do not have a home because they cannot afford one, for myriad socio-economic reasons. Obviously their intelligent, innocent and honest children who are interested in a good education, do not have a home either, for no mistake of their own.

In Pasco, there is a local coalition (comprised of concerned agencies, organizations, businesses and citizens), that works very hard to address the homeless population ( www.pascohomelesscoalition.com). State Sen. Mike Fasano is in the news lately for his efforts to get more state and federal funds to help the homeless. Obviously, this is a huge complex social problem with no easy solution. There is federal legislation (McKinney-Vento) specifically designed to help the education of homeless youths. There is some state funding through mid-Florida and Pasco County Human Services.

Talking to social workers from the Pasco County School District sheds light on the real unmet needs of these homeless students. The students' wish list to Santa includes "expensive" items such as socks, underwear, books, pencils, backpacks, etc. Luxuries these students cannot afford include decent clothes to go to school, staying in the same school, access to food and field trips if somehow they manage to stay in school. The thought of this social inequality and the societal implications should be enough to make any sensitive person cry.

But I don't cry easily. I'm not supposed to and I'm not allowed to. I decided to do better and write this column. I am mindful of the fact that any public commentary can invite unexpected criticism. The only response to this column, I am wishing for, is to motivate a lot of able and willing kind citizens of Pasco to help these students. With your pocket change, you can help one of these students to celebrate Christmas in July. If you can help in any way with your tax-deductible contribution, please call the Pasco Education Foundation at (813) 794-2705, (727) 774-2705 or (352) 524-2705 (earmarked for homeless students) and they will contact the homeless liaison for the Pasco schools to ensure that your contribution will go to help these needy children. Donors may also submit their donation online at www.pascoeducationfoundation.org and click on the "Donate Now" button.

Who knows, with proper assistance and guidance, one of these students may grow up to become the future president, governor, compassionate school superintendent or caring newspaper editor. Even better, all of them will grow up to be good productive citizens raising their own families in their own homes, knowing the value and the necessity of helping the needy.

The writer is a cardiologist, practicing at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point in Hudson since 1981. He has served serving on board of Trustees for Pasco-Hernando Community College since 1999. He works with several charitable organizations including CA

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