Educational barriers could be removed for military children

The Education Committee heard testimony March 8 on a bill that would remove educational barriers for military children transitioning between schools.

LB63, introduced by Sen. Abbie Cornett of Bellevue, would adopt the federal Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children designed to remove barriers imposed on children of military families who move frequently.

The bill would permit military children to:
• enroll in school when they arrive and provide hand carried records;
• have 30 days to obtain required immunizations;
• continue schooling at the same grade level they were in prior to transferring;
• participate in athletics and extracurricular programs, even if they are in the middle of the school year;
• have additional excused absences if a parent is preparing for or returning from deployment;
• have a power of attorney as guardianship; and
• complete graduation requirements and receive a high school diploma from their previous school if they transferred in the middle of their senior year.

The bill also would require the state Department of Education to develop a six member council to coordinate compliance with the compact. Members of the council would be eligible for the reimbursement of their expenses.

On average, Cornett said, military families move every three years and their children must change schools with each move. The bill would do the right thing for military families and their children by making this transition easier, she said.

Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey testified in support, saying the compact is needed because 75 percent of active service members are married. The U.S. is in a “lose-lose situation” if those families separate from the military because their children’s education is at stake, he said.

Tom Hinton, senior state liaison for the Office of Under Secretary of Defense, also testified in support, saying the compact has become the “linchpin” of military children’s mobility between states. The compact allows states to act collectively regarding education requirements without surrendering control to federal entities, Hinton said.

Rachel Wheeler, a military spouse and mother, testified in support of the bill, saying her seventh-grade daughter already has been enrolled in six schools.

Wheeler said military families often must separate in order to continue children’s educational opportunities. Furthermore, she said, military children take on adult responsibilities at a younger age while coping with a parent’s deployment.

“Our children play a large role in the military mission,” Wheeler said. “The military children are the unsung heroes in this global war on terror.”

There was no opposition testimony and the committee took no immediate action on the bill.