Gabriel was 16 when he came into contact with the child welfare system for the second time. He was minimally engaged in school, but he flew under school administrators’ radars because he was well liked and had no behavioral issues in the classroom.
Records revealed that Gabriel was actually years behind his grade level, despite fairly steady attendance, but he had never been assessed for an Individualized Education Program or Section 504 accommodations. Gabriel hoped to enroll in an alternative charter school that served at-risk youth who were off-track in regular school.
Even though his mother was uncooperative, Gabriel’s probation officer and therapist were supportive of his plan. So, Gabriel got started with the admissions process.
However, Gabriel’s education plans fell through. A fight with his mother led to a child welfare investigation. Though a family friend was willing to take responsibility for Gabriel, the court and child welfare agency determined he would be better off elsewhere. After less than two weeks at a group home far from home, where regular family contact was impossible and his only education option was to enroll temporarily in a high school that wasn’t able to meet his needs, Gabriel ran away and found his way to the streets.
[For more of this story, written by Rachel Velcoff Hults and Atasi Uppal, go to http://jjie.org/education-cruc...h-to-improve/258437/]
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