BASTROP, Texas — Norma Mercado works as the parent and family social services coordinator at Bastrop independent School District. She goes beyond the call of duty to help students in need as they transition through homelessness and into the school system.
“Emergencies just don’t happen Monday through Friday,” said Mercado.
Mercado is building a reputation in the community as a one-woman rescue squad as the head liaison for the McKinney-Veto Act at Bastrop ID.The McKinney-Vento Act is a federal law that assists with educational rights and protections for youths experiencing homelessness.
“The goal of the McKinney-Vento act is to provide stability to students while in school. So that they’re able to really have equal access to all opportunities in school available to them,” said Mercado.
Mercado says the annual grant ranging from $40,000 to $60,000 provides resources such as emergency food, clothing, supplies and a staff to help service students and their families who are in the program.
“Once we determine that a family does qualify for services because of their current housing situation, we immediately meet with those families and identify what are some of those barriers,” said Mercado.
Barriers for families can include retrieving documentation such as birth certificates and immunization records.
Mercado also heads trainings and professional developments to ensure staff and community members are aware of the program and the application process.
Before her work day begins on campus, Mercado leads a carpool for students in the program. Regardless of their housing situation, Mercado wants to ensure students are receiving an education as they transition.
Spectrum News followed the carpool to a middle school in Bastrop ISD, where Jacob Hyde was waiting for a ride home from school. Hyde is an eighth-grader at the middle school who thanks “Ms. Norma” for enrolling him into the program.
“I bounced around from house to house like last month, so I really wasn’t at school a lot. Now I have an actual house and Ms. Norma offered for me to be in the program and my mom said yes, so now she takes me every morning from my house in San Marcos to Bastrop,” said Hyde.
Hyde is just one of hundreds of students Mercado has helped with the program. Her goal is to spread awareness for the families and be the advocate she didn’t have growing up.
According to Mercado, it can be a lot of work and time-consuming, but it’s very rewarding because we get to help so many students.