Increasing numbers of students fall below poverty line

A recent network report indicated that, for the first time, the federal government finds that more than one-half of public school students live in poverty.  And Oconee school district officials say their county’s numbers mirror those the federal government has for the rest of the country.  If local district officials are surprised, they aren’t shocked.  “We know that, as the economy took a downtown turn, there are a lot of parents who lost their jobs,” said Evie Hughes, Director of Student Services, Safety and Security.  Hughes says a federal law that covers homeless and displaced children allows public school districts to offer certain kinds of assistance.