Thank you, DC Board of Education.

That's not something you hear me say very often. But the Board moved recently (finally!) to correct a misguided policy that has been damaging the educational prospects of the city's homeless children for the past decade.

I wrote some time ago about DC's position as the only "state" (as it is considered for some federal funding purposes) in the nation to decline to accept federal funds under the McKinney Vento Act to help homeless children stay in school. DC moved back in 1995 to pass emergency legislation allowing it to decline the federal funds, so it would not have to abide by a court order that it provide bus tokens to homeless children so that they could continue to attend school in their former neighborhoods.

DC officials said it would cost more to administer the program and hand out the tokens than the amount of the federal funding, a position that was generally considered to be ridiculous. The real reason seemed to be more one of pique at having lost a lawsuit. Pique that has cost our most vulnerable kids about $1.5 million in services and support.

Now comes word that the DC Board of Ed has directed Superintendent Clifford Janey to apply for funding under McKinney-Vento. That should mean about $250,000 in federal funding for the next school year to help homeless kids with transportation, tutoring, enrichment activities, and better access to after school and other programs. Better late than never....