The Oregon Senate passed a bill Tuesday that will make graduation easier for students who are homeless, in foster care or come from military families. The bill passed unanimously and is on its way to Gov. Kate Brown.
The state requires high schoolers in Oregon to obtain 24 credits to graduate, but Sen. Michael Dembrow, a Portland Democrat, said some schools tack on additional requirements, and that complicates things for kids who move around a lot.
Dembrow cited, “Foster children, homeless children, children who have run away from home, children in military families, children of migrant workers or children enrolled in the youth corrections education program or juvenile detention education program.”
Dembrow told colleagues the bill is unlikely to improve the state’s graduation rates, because the number of students affected is small. The bill includes kids who attend charter schools.