5118.2 - Education Opportunities for Military Children

Students

5118.2 - Educational Opportunities for Military Children

In an effort to facilitate the placement, enrollment, graduation, data collection and provision of special services for students transferring into or out of the District because of their parents being on active duty in the U.S. Armed Services, the District supports and will implement its responsibilities as outlined in the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. The Board of Education believes it is appropriate to remove barriers to educational success imposed on children of military families because of their parents’ frequent moves and deployment.

Definitions

"Active duty" means full-time duty status in the active uniformed service of the United States, including members of the National Guard and Reserve on active duty orders pursuant to 10 USC Section 1209 and 1211.

"Uniformed services" means the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard as well as the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Public Health Services.

"Children of military families" mean school-aged children, enrolled in kindergarten through twelfth grade, in the household of an active duty member of the uniformed service of the United States, including members of the National Guard and Reserve.

Deployment means the period one month before the service members’ departure from their home station on military orders through six months after return to their home station.

Education(al) records means official records, files, and data directly related to a student and maintained by the school including, but not limited to, records encompassing all the material kept in the student’s cumulative folder.

The requirements, applicable to eligible students, which must be fulfilled, are listed below. Eligible students are those who are children of active duty personnel, active duty personnel or veterans who have been severely injured and medically discharged, and active duty personnel who die on active duty within one year of service. Students are not eligible for the provisions of the Compact if they are children of inactive Guard or Reserves, retired personnel, veterans not included above, or U.S. Department of Defense personnel and other federal civil service employees and contract employees.

The District’s responsibilities to eligible children include the following:

• Sending schools must send either official or unofficial records with the moving students and District receiving schools must use those records for immediate enrollment and educational placement.

• Simultaneously, the receiving school must request official records and the sending schools shall respond within 10 days with the records.

• Immunization requirements of the District may be met within 30 days from the date of enrollment or be in progress.

• Receiving schools must honor placement of students in all courses from the sending school. These include, but are not limited to, Honors, International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, vocational-technical, and career pathway courses if those courses are offered in the receiving school.

• Receiving schools must allow for the continued enrollment of students at the same grade level as in the sending school, including kindergarten, regardless of the student’s age.

• In compliance with federal law, special education students must be placed by the existing IEP with reasonable accommodations in the receiving school. This does not preclude the receiving school from performing subsequent evaluation to ensure appropriate placement.

• The receiving school shall make reasonable accommodations and modifications to address the needs of students identified as requiring 504 services in accordance with their existing 504 plans. This does not preclude the receiving from performing subsequent evaluation to ensure appropriate placement.

• If a child of a member of the armed forces is enrolled in a school under the jurisdiction of the district, and such member has received military orders directing them from such town, or any other documents from the armed forces indicated a change of residency from such town during the school year, the child may continue to be enrolled in the school until the end of the school year while such member remains a member of the armed forces, except that any such child in grade eleven may continue to be enrolled in the school for an additional school year while such member remains a member of the armed forces.

• The District will exercise, as deemed appropriate, the right to waive prerequisites for all courses and programs, while also maintaining its right to re-evaluate the student to ensure continued enrollment, as deemed appropriate.

• Absences related to a student visiting with his/her parent related to leave or deployment activities may be excused by the District at the discretion of the superintendent or designee.

(cf. 5111 – Admission)

(cf. 5113 – Attendance and Excuses)

(cf. 5123 – Promotion/Retention)

(cf. 5125 – Student Records; Confidentiality)

(cf. 5141.3 – Health Assessments and Immunizations)

(cf. 6146 – Graduation Requirements)

(cf. 6171 – Special Education)

Legal References: Connecticut General Statutes

10-15f Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children

Public Act 25-15 An Act Concerning Various Measures Recognizing and Honoring the Military Service of the Armed Forces in Connecticut (Section 7)

Policy Adopted: March 28, 2013

Policy Revised: September 9, 2021,  October 9, 2025