low-income

More than four out of 10 school-aged children in Milwaukee are living in poverty, a jump of nearly 10 percentage points from 2007, according to new estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau that underscore another effect of the Great Recession.

The child poverty rate rose during the recession in 1 of every 5 counties across the nation, the U.S. Census Bureau said Tuesday.

Back in May, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education fired off a joint letter to all school districts in the nation reminding them they risked losing federal funding if they violated the Supreme Court's 1982 ruling in Plyler vs. Doe by denying children access to a free education because of their immigration status.

The slumping economy has had an under-publicized effect on children, who bring the pain of their parents’ troubles to school in the form of stress, hunger, lack of money for basic activities or even homelessness.

Wake County's school board is expected to vote Tuesday on a new student assignment plan, even though there are calls within the community to wait.