1 Public school officials, concerned that students may be living on the streets, opened homeless shelters in two Houston schools Thursday so needy pupils can get beds, showers and a meal.
2 A 12-year-old girl who had been sleeping under an abandoned house was the first of eight people to enter the shelters, officials said.
3 'We didn't discuss anything with the child when she came in,' said school board President Melody Ellis.
4 'Right now she's playing checkers with one of the administrators.
5 We just tried to give her encouragement and let her play.'
6 The shelters will remain open nightly until at least Jan. 20, when the superintendent the Houston Independent School District will recommend to the school board that the program be continued or modified.
7 Within an hour of opening, six children arrived at the shelters, and Ms. Ellis said four other young boys who showed up at one of the campuses left before entering, apparently because of television cameras nearby.
8 'It is drizzling outside and it is extremely cold, and I would really like for these children to come in,' Ms. Ellis said when asking reporters to leave the area.
9 Temperatures were in the low 40s Thursday night.
10 By late evening eight youths and one parent were in the two shelters, including a homeless woman with five children, all enrolled in Houston schools, and a 14-year-old dropout.
11 Houston is estimated to have 20,000 to 25,000 people who live on the streets or in shelters, but it's uncertain how many of those are children.
12 The school shelters are not intended for children whose families are staying in city shelters, but rather for those pupils who seem to live alone on the streets.
13 'We've had teachers discovering students sleeping in areas around schools, storing clothes under houses in the neighborhood and some who are asking for help,' school district spokesman Larry Yawn said.
14 It's not certain why those pupils are on the streets, however.
15 Judy Hay, of Harris County Children's Protective Services, said use of the term 'homeless' for the school program may be a misnomer.
16 'I know there's children out there,' she said.
17 'But I certainly didn't think they were in school.
18 These children have a home somewhere, but they either are abused or choose not to be at home.'
19 Ms. Hay said programs already exist for 'truly homeless' children, whose parents, for example, may be living out of their cars.
20 Other social service programs also exist for children who need a 'cooling-off' time away from their parents, she said.
21 'There are vacancies in shelters right now,' Ms. Hay said.
22 'It's going to be interesting to find out what these principals have been seeing.'
23 Under the Schoolhouse Shelters program, approved this week and announced Wednesday, volunteers from the school system and other social agencies will staff the shelters, which officials hope may lead to more permanent assistance for homeless youths seeking help in a familiar place.
24 One school is set up to handle children from kindergarten through eighth grade.
25 The other is intended for high school students.
26 The Red Cross has donated 75 beds and blankets.
27 Existing showers and dressing rooms in gymnasiums of the schools will be used, officials said.
28 The cost to the school district, while not yet determined, should be minimal, officials said.
29 The district is providing food -- soup and sandwiches -- and security guards.
30 The program will serve only students enrolled in the Houston Independent School District, among the nation's 10-largest districts with about 190,000 students.
31 Security officers will guard against drugs and weapons, and Yawn said hand-held metal detectors will be used at the school entrance.
32 Students entering the shelters, operated from 5:30 p.m. until 7 a.m., will have to prove they are enrolled before entering.

A 12 - year - old girl who had been sleeping under an abandoned house was the first of eight people to enter the shelters , officials said .
12 - year - old girl
does she not have parents?