OKLAHOMA, USA — The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) is now accepting applications for Purple Star Campus designations.
The Purple Star program helps schools support military-connected children and families. The program is designed to help schools respond to the educational and personal challenges military-connected students may face during a school transition. Officials say these students may face academic and emotional stress when frequently changing schools due to military stationing.
Purple Star Schools provide academic and wraparound support services with the goal of keeping those students on track to be college, workforce, and life-ready.
There are nearly 30,000 military-connected students in Oklahoma public schools.
“We know the reality of military life is frequent mobility, with these families moving three times more often than others,” said State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister. “The Purple Star program recognizes the sacrifices these men and women make for our country, and we must prioritize the education and well-being of their children. I encourage districts already serving the unique needs of military-connected students to apply to become a Purple Star Campus or begin the process to build out supports that would allow them to qualify in the future.”
List of school district qualifications:
- Designate a staff member to serve as a military liaison to students and families.
- Maintain an easily accessible webpage with resources specific to military students and families, including relocation assistance, records transfer, academic planning, counseling services, etc.
- Operate and maintain a student-led transition program to help facilitate military-connected students’ entry into the school/district.
- Provide school employees with professional development related to military-connected students.
- Offer an initiative to recognize a military child, partner with a military installation or issue a resolution in support of military children and families.
Schools who serve military-connected students can apply to be a Purple Star campus in two phases. If districts qualify with the above criteria, the application deadline is Oct. 3 for the first phase. Applications will reopen in Jan. 2023 for districts that need time to build their program with a deadline of Feb. 28.
Districts who are interested can request a link to an application by emailing Elizabeth Suddath, OSDE’s assistant deputy superintendent of student support, at Elizabeth.Suddath@sde.ok.gov.
Oklahoma is the 12th state in the nation to implement the Purple Star program. To see a recent research report on the impact of the Purple Star program in four states, click here.
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