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5/7/02 – The U.S. Army and school districts with a large Army presence are working together to ease the disruptions caused by students who transfer frequently because of a parent's military assignment.
"It's hard to find a military family with a teen who does not have a story of frustration about the difficulties of transitioning from school to school," states the Secondary Education Transition Study, by the Military Child Education Coalition and released by the Army in 2001.
The study recommends that schools improve the academic records transfer process; provide information to parents on the school calendar, testing requirements, and the like; allow qualified students who transfer mid-year to participate in extracurricular activities if they missed the tryouts; train educators and counselors on the special needs of military families; and create partnerships between school districts and military institutions.
Following the study, a memorandum of agreement was developed to address these issues. Initially, school board members and superintendents from nine school districts signed the memorandum, with support from representatives of Army facilities in those communities, says P.K. Tomlinson, deputy director of the Army's Child and Youth Services Directorate. By April 2002, 73 school systems had signed on.
The Lawton, Okla., school district, one of the original nine, has built a strong relationship with Fort Sill to ease the transition of military-connected students.
One-third of Lawton public school students have one or both parents connected with Fort Sill, many of whom are now in Afghanistan. Two elementary schools are inside the post.
One of Fort Sill's commanding officers serves as an ex officio non-voting member of the Lawton school board, says Penny Jackson, the school district's executive director of curriculum and instruction.
The base employs a civilian as a school liaison officer to provide families with information about such things as the school calendar and graduation requirements. The liaison also arranges for children preparing to move to Lawton to have pen pals so they'll know someone before they get there, says Jackson.
"The most traumatic aspect of entering a new school is emotional–leaving friends behind and having to eat lunch alone," says Jackson. Lawton high schools address this problem with student escorts who take new students from class to class, introduce them to their teachers, and eat lunch with them.
The district works with incoming students' former schools to make sure students don't lose credits. "Whenever we can fit in a credit, we do," Jackson says, and the district makes other accommodations for students who transfer in.
For example, the district created a two-week, self-directed course to help new students pass the required course on Oklahoma history. "We don't see a need for this course for students who aren't from Oklahoma and might have already taken state history courses in two other states," Jackson says. But state law no longer allows districts to waive this requirement.
Tomlinson says Army policy allows soldiers to request that they be allowed to remain in their current location if they have a child in the senior year of high school. "Very, very few soldiers have been told No," she says. "The Army has been very supportive."
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| Reproduced with permission from the May 7, 2002, issue of School Board News. Copyright © 2002, National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect positions of NSBA. This article may be printed out and photocopied for individual or educational use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy. This article may not be otherwise transmitted or reproduced in print or electronic form without the consent of the Publisher. For more information, call (703) 838-6789. | |