Dear Delegates/Friends, I've been a licensed educator in Virginia for 30 years. The greatest need in the state in my eyes is assistance for homeless youth. Under the "Katrina law" we assisted youth fleeing disasters to a degee. HB168 brings awareness to and adjusts school residency policies to assure an education to minors and youth who are homeless. There are many more such children and youth than the counts attest to and the need is truly dire. HB168 also prepares some additional school-based services for homeless children and youth. School is often (maybe usually) the only place that such students have come into contact with state and local services; without 168 many young people will continue to "fall through the cracks." Please approve and HB168 as it is written and move it to the full committee and the floor of the House, If it becomes law we can all be more proud to be residents of Virginia, a truly humane state. Thank you for reading, Robert Rigby, Jr. Fairfax County Retired teacher and current substitute

The Virginia NAACP supports the following HB168 Keys-Gamarra Homeless students; Dept. of Ed. to develop a resource document on supports and services. HB181 Feggans School counselors; decreases public school staffing ratios. HB187 Clark Teachers and support staff; compensation at or above national average salary.