Moving can be stressful for the service member, but it can also be stressful for school-age children.
But you can make your child’s transition to a new school in a new location easier for both the parent and the child.
School liaisons are your primary point of contact for all school-related matters, especially a school transition. The school liaison at your current installation can connect you to your new installation school liaison who will help smooth the transition to your child’s new school. Let your school liaison help you and your family navigate school selection and youth sponsorship during this time of change.
School records
When leaving your current school district, obtain a copy of your student’s unofficial school records to carry to the new school. Thanks to the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, this documentation is sufficient to place your child in comparable classes until the student’s official paperwork arrives at the new school.
The Interstate Compact is designed to make school transitions easier for military families. Currently, all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity, or DODEA, have committed to helping students enroll in school, register for the classes they need and graduate on time. Learn more about the Interstate Compact below.
Extracurricular activities
Many times, if your student is eligible, the new school can facilitate participation in extracurricular activities — even if application deadlines or tryouts have passed.
Graduation
For teens in high school, a move may cause anxiety about graduation. Thanks to the Interstate Compact, changing schools will not impact their graduation.
The compact helps with:
• Course waivers: If your child has already completed similar coursework, the new school may waive courses required for graduation. In some states, schools can deny the request to apply past coursework. If the school denies applying that coursework toward graduation, it must provide an alternate means of obtaining required coursework to be completed for on-time graduation.
• Exit exams: The new school district may accept your student’s exit exams and achievement tests required to graduate from his or her previous school. If the school does not, it will provide an alternate means of providing exit exams for the student.
• Senior-year transfers: If your student changes school during his or her senior year, the two school districts will work together to get a diploma from the former school to ensure on-time graduation.
Exceptional family members
If you are traveling with Exceptional Family Member, alert the new school and your medical provider at least 30 days ahead of your move. You should request a copy of your child’s complete educational and medical records and submit it to the new school as soon as possible. If your student is covered by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, federal law protects your child’s right to receive the same services identified in his or her existing individual education program, or IEP. The receiving school may perform subsequent evaluations to assess eligibility and ensure appropriate placement. Your local school liaison can also help with this transition by connecting you to your new school’s special education department.
Editor’s note: Information compiled from www.militaryonesource.mil.
