Your School Liaison (SL) is the central point of contact for commanders, community stakeholders, military-connected families, and educators on PreK-12 education related matters. The (SL) assists commanders and military-connected families in meeting the challenging demands of the military lifestyle by developing and maintaining partnerships between parents, installation leadership, local schools, Department of Defense Education Activity and International Schools and the community. Your School Liaison provides outreach advocacy, partnership initiatives, supporting any matter, or concern, impacting PreK-12 total-force students anywhere in the world. Call or email your School Liaison.

Florida Statute 1002.31 https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2016/1002.31 requires School Boards to adopt a policy that gives parents and students the ability to seek enrollment in a school other than their zoned school of attendance if the school has available seats. Families have the option to the school of choice. This means parents may send their student to any school in any district up to the school’s functional capacity. It is the parent’s responsibility to provide transportation for their student to and from school. Please note if a school is at capacity then they will not be eligible for school of choice. Students living on the base are zoned for: Tyndall Academy PreK-8th and Rutherford High School

Your School Liaison is the first stop to connect to your new homeschooling community. The School Liaison can advise you on local policies and laws, connect you with the appropriate agencies, and address any issues or concerns regarding homeschooling your military-connected student. Stay informed and connected.

Dependent children of a member of the US Armed Forces may qualify for up to $7,000+ per child to attend K-12 private schools with a Step Up for Students Scholarship. https://www.stepupforstudents.org/

Visit MilitaryKidsConnect.org, a new website created to help military youth ages 6-17 deal with the challenges of having a deployed parent or caregiver. The site is a FREE web-based resource designed for military children, offering fun and interactive activities for building resilience and coping skills.

The purpose of the Purple Star School of Distinction Designation is to recognize schools that support the unique needs of military families, help military-connected students navigate critical challenges and provide resources for military-connected students when transitioning to a new school environment. Bay County was awarded 18 purple star schools.
1. Crawford Mosley High School
2. Bay High School
3. Breakfast Point Academy
4. Deer Point Elementary School
5. Hiland Park Elementary School
6. Hutchison Beach Elementary School
7. J. R. Arnold High School
8. Lynn Haven Elementary School
9. Northside Elementary School
10. Oscar Patterson Academy
11. Patronis Elementary School
12. Rutherford High School
13. Southport Elementary School
14. St. John Catholic Academy
15. Surfside Middle School
16. Tommy Smith Elementary School
17. Tyndall Academy
18. Waller Elementary School

To earn the Florida Purple Star School of Distinction Designation, schools are required to maintain the following:
• A school military point of contact to serve as the central liaison for military families.
• A school webpage for military students and families that includes resources like academic planning, transition planning, and educational opportunities.
• A student-led transition program to assist military students coming into the school.
• Staff professional development to identify and respond to the needs of military families.
• Five (5) percent open enrollment seats for military students and families.
• Three additional activities to support military families such as participating in a service project to connect the school with the military community, hosting an annual military recognition event, or offering a JROTC program, among others.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t38hi0cj1Fg
Impact Aid was designed to assist local school districts that have lost property tax revenue due to the presence of tax- exempt Federal property, or that have experienced increased expenditures due to the enrollment of federally connected children, including children living on Indian lands. The Impact Aid law (now Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA)) provides assistance to local school districts with concentrations of children residing on Indian lands, military bases, low-rent housing properties, or other Federal properties and, to a lesser extent, concentrations of children who have parents in the uniformed services or employed on eligible Federal properties who do not live on Federal property. Please help your school by filling out the impact aid form that comes out every year around October and is due by December.