Federal law may endanger school at Crosswalk

A federal law will force changes at an alternative school program for teenagers dealing with homelessness, family conflict, and mental health issues.

The education program at Crosswalk, a downtown emergency shelter, works with about 70 students. About 20 to 30 of the students in the program are homeless, said Marilee Roloff, founding director of Crosswalk and CEO of the local Volunteers of America, the nonprofit that oversees the shelter. Crosswalk’s education program has been operating for more than two decades.

The federal No Child Left Behind law prohibits the separation of homeless students from mainstream public education.

Fred Schrumpf, principal at Havermale High School, which includes the Crosswalk educational program, said it appears the school cannot be run in the Crosswalk shelter, but that support services, such as tutoring, may be offered. Failing to comply with the No Child Left Behind law could jeopardize public funding, Schrumpf said.

“We don’t place kids down there – they choose to go there,” Schrumpf said. “We’re totally committed to trying to serve these students who are enrolled there. We’ll finish up the school year.”

The program will continue to operate while officials with Volunteers for America and Spokane Public Schools decide what changes are necessary.

Said Roloff: “We’re looking for ways to keep an educational program here. Something has to change at the Crosswalk school.”

Other Washington alternative schools that work with homeless teens are facing a similar situation, she said.

“The beauty of coming here is that kids get an education, but they can also get a hot meal, counseling and connections to health care, treatment and child care,” Roloff said in a news release. “For many of these kids, those extras make the difference between graduating and dropping out. We’re here to help kids turn their lives around, and we will do whatever is needed to make sure education remains a piece of that puzzle.”