Homeless student admitted after struggle

Pans clatter as dinner ends. A baby's shrill cry reverberates through the house. Loud conversations and laughter resonate in the background. "I know it's not normal," says senior Brandon Haynes of the commotion in the crowded home in which he currently lives. "But I'm kind of used to it now."

The extra noise is just one of the many adjustments Haynes, a Blair student caught in an enrollment dispute with MCPS over the last two years, has had to make. In April of his sophomore year, Haynes was evicted from his home, becoming one of the more than 1,000 students in Montgomery County who experienced homelessness in the Fiscal Year 2000, according to the Maryland Department of Human Resources, and he was forced to miss most of his junior year. Despite these setbacks, Haynes remains an avid tuba player and strong student with aspirations of going to college.

In April 2001, Haynes, along with his family, was evicted from his three-bedroom house in Silver Spring and had to seek refuge at his uncle's house in Washington, D.C. At that point, the thought of being unable to attend Blair never entered Haynes's mind. "I was just disappointed and in shock," he says.

In the suddenly cramped household, Haynes had to share two rooms with his four brothers. Additional adjustments had to be made for Haynes to continue to attend Blair. He had to take long public bus rides to get to school, but he managed to complete his sophomore year without incident. In fact, friends say they couldn't notice differences in his behavior. "The majority of the people didn't know [about his situation]," says junior Denise Sylla.

However, MCPS officials would not allow Haynes and his brothers to attend county schools that September. The Haynes family was considered homeless, having no proof of residency. They would have to register for school in Washington, D.C., where they were currently residing.
But Haynes's choices for his academic path were already set. "When I was younger, I wanted to go to Montgomery Knolls, then Pinecrest, then Blair," he says. "I guess I had the high school attachment."

Haynes missed three quarters of his junior year as his mother tried to regain their house and convince county officials to let her son return to school. Haynes spent his months out of school anxious about what he was missing. "Mostly, I just went to the library, but it was boring," he says of his absence. "I didn't want to repeat eleventh grade. I was thinking about college."

Rolling into action

Haynes wasn't about to give up. He contacted Montgomery County Executive Douglas Duncan and Congressman Albert Wynn. They referred him to Anita Mostow, head of the MCPS Residence Compliance Office.

However, Haynes didn't find much assistance from the office. "Ms. Mostow said I didn't qualify as homeless since I was living with family and that I should just be grateful to have a roof over my head," he says. Mostow was unavailable for comment.

Haynes, incredulous at Mostow's claim, contacted the Prince George's County school system, which told him of the McKinney-Vento Act, which protects homeless students' rights.
The act states that homeless students include ones who are living "doubled up" with family or friends because they have lost their homes. The act also grants homeless students "equal access to the same free, appropriate public education. . . as provided to other children and youths."

The Haynes family found lawyer Laurie Norris of the Baltimore-based Public Justice Center to represent them. According to Norris, Haynes is not alone in his situation. "Later in May [2002], we added additional families to the lawsuit and requested that the case be given class action status," she says. "Brandon is not the only student who has been denied his rights by MCPS."

Norris represented the family in court and won. MCPS was required to let Haynes to return to Blair at the end of the third quarter of his junior year. Despite missing so much school, Haynes finished the year with a 3.14 GPA.

Valerie Josenhans, Haynes's creative writing teacher last year, remembers Haynes as a "conscientious" student. "He wrote some very powerful pieces," she says. Josenhans adds that despite joining the class more than halfway through the year, Haynes never complained. "He never made an exception of himself—he fit right in," she says.

"I'm still upset"

A July 22 article in the Washington Post implied that an April Silver Chips story about homeless and out-of-area students caused Haynes embarrassment in school.

Haynes says he found the Chips article to be misleading. "They were suggesting that I was using residency compliance to sneak into Blair," says Haynes. "I was just trying to stay in."
Norris was also angered by the article. "The article cited ‘Blair wannabes,'" she says. "Here's a kid who's lived in Silver Spring his entire life. I found it incredibly insulting."

Haynes found himself extremely busy upon his return to school. He was forced to take the first semester of eleventh grade English in summer school, and he has been taking night school since September. He has no time for social activities. "It's tough to balance, but I manage," he says.

Haynes says he's still angry at MCPS for causing him to miss most of his junior year. "I'm still upset about it, but life can't stop because I'm upset," he says. Haynes still lives with his uncle in Washington, D.C., but the noise and lack of space have become "more tolerable." He is adjusting well to the school from which he and his brother will graduate.

Not surprisingly, Haynes has discovered an interest in a career in law. He also found his entire ordeal to be a learning experience. "This kind of thing," he says, "prepares you for life."