As the spouse of an active-duty service member stationed at Fort Rucker, Alabama, I am writing today in hopes of your support in advocating for military families in Enterprise City Schools and for all military children in Alabama. Many military children were unexpectedly displaced within Enterprise City Schools and forced to abruptly change schools due to the local public-school rezoning recently. This displacement caused undue burdens to our military students and families. The former and current Superintendent ignored pleas from military families requesting any type of exemption or zoning waiver to protect our children from yet another school transition during our short time here, including for special needs military-dependent children with IEP's. Keeping these families and children in place at their original schools would have caused little to no burden to their locally zoned schools. We are requesting for our active-duty military families to be granted a ‘stay in place’ rezoning policy allowing them to return to and remain at their previously zoned schools (if it is their desire) which were abruptly rezoned against our knowledge in February. The ‘stay in place’ policy allows students from active-duty military families to naturally relocate or graduate from their schools, eliminating an additional school displacement while residing at the same duty station.

According to several studies, military-dependent children will change schools an average of six to nine times by the time they graduate high school (Astor, 2011). These moves are disadvantageous to the child’s education, as they are coping with normative childhood developmental stressors while simultaneously dealing with the added stressors of relocation (Kelley et. al, 2003). These school changes are unfortunately necessary when moving between duty stations; however, adding unnecessary additional school moves to a military child will only cause more damage to their educational development. The emotional stress of a school transition is further complicated if a parent of the child is deployed. The constant fear for their parent’s safety negatively affects the child academically, emotionally, and behaviorally (Chawla & Solinas-Saunders, 2011).  The absence of the deployed parent from significant life events, such as school transition, can cause stress, depression, feelings of loss, and anxiety for the military child (Harrison & Vannest, 2008).

After a deplorable and distressing situation happened with our child in the Enterprise City School District during my husband's deployment that our child is still suffering from, and the lack of help from anyone within the city or state Department of Education, our research concluded that Alabama could stand to better its protections for these children and families who sacrifice so much already for this country and community. We respectfully ask for your consideration in proposing legislation paralleled to other states who give military parents school of choice opportunities, as well as to protect vulnerable military-dependent students from further educational displacement via local rezoning issues. We believe that if legislation had been in place in Alabama, or if we had been stationed elsewhere, our child and several other military families here would not have suffered and continue to suffer the effects created from the cruel and heartless decision of the Superintendent, who chose to displace and separate children during their father’s deployment, ultimately disrupting their educational continuity and mental health. Protections for vulnerable military children via legislation can help attract military members to the community and appeal to families who are considering where to stay and raise their children after retirement. Ultimately, this can boost the economy. Finally, bolstering positive relationships between school districts and the military community can lead to positive collaborations at the national advocacy level to include Purple Star School designations within your community.

Key Points:

-        Military children move on average of 6 to 9 times during their educational career. Legislation can protect these vulnerable children from further educational disruption by allowing parents to choose a school that better fits their child and family’s needs, educational standards, and lifestyle. 

-        Legislation to protect military dependent students can support physical, emotional, or social adjustment difficulties.

-        Military families do not get to choose where we are stationed or have to live. Allowing school of choice programs in states that are failing our children when it comes to education decreases the burden for families by allowing choice and removes barriers created by uneven and inconsistent educational standards. When we spend months researching the best school option for our children and purchase our home for those schools with each PCS, we cannot possibly be aware of local issues and potential rezoning that will uproot our children against our will. 

-        Military school of choice protects state revenue.

-        Parents and families, not government bureaucracies, make the best educational choices for our children.

After a life full of sacrifices, couldn’t the Alabama education system and legislation do more by rising to meet the unique educational challenges military families and students face? The best way to thank a military child and family for their service is by giving them support which includes access to the educational choice options that they want to help their children achieve their goals, not by harming them and causing increased distress during difficult times in their life. Separating siblings and forcing children to change schools during their parent's deployment is shameful, cruel, and unnecessary. Alabama needs to hold these school leaders accountable and do better for our children. States such as Florida, Virginia, Texas, Ohio, and Arkansas, as well as many others, already have legislation in place that would have protected our children and prevented the educational disruption inflicted on multiple military students in Enterprise City Schools. When is Alabama going to do better to protect the education and mental health of vulnerable military-dependent children stationed here?