A dozen Washington school districts were recognized with the first-ever Purple Star Awards earlier this month for their support of active-duty military families. The state Legislature approved the program last year to recognize school districts that demonstrated a commitment to addressing the needs of students in families serving in the military.
The school districts are
- Bremerton School District
- Central Kitsap School District
- Cheney School District
- Clover Park School District
- Medical Lake School District
- North Mason School District
- North Thurston Public Schools
- Oak Harbor Public Schools
- Peninsula School District
- Steilacoom Historical School District
- Sumner-Bonney Lake School District
- Yelm Community Schools
To receive the award, school districts need to provide tools and support for students of active-duty military families in their school through tending to the social and emotional barriers students face when their parents are deployed or when they relocate and transfer to a different school. It is also a requirement for the district to host a military recognition event to demonstrate a military-friendly culture or to publicize the district’s support for active-duty military families.
These school districts work with the Interstate Compact Council, which helps children of military personnel when moving from different schools. One example of this is giving their teachers training on how to better serve their students from active-duty military families.
Washington has 39,860 children of active-duty military and 19,411 children of National Guard members and reservists, according to the Defense Manpower Data Center.
The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Washington Association of School Administrators jointly administer the designation, which will be in place for the districts for two years.