Two Oklahoma Senate bills would make it easier for children of active duty military personnel to enroll in school without missing large chunks of instruction time.
The two bills passed the Senate Education committee Feb. 2 and will now be considered by the full Senate.
Sen. Frank Simpson (R-Springer) said the measures are needed to help the students of active military parents return to the classroom quickly following a transfer from one military installation to another.
“This comes out of a national Department of Defense movement,” he said. “This (Senate Bill 68) would get Oklahoma in compliance with an interstate compact. Frequent moves of military families puts them in a difficult situation. Once they get here, they (students) are ready to start, but they typically miss a couple of weeks before they get enrolled.”
SB 68 provides for school district residency status for children with parents who have been transferred or will be transferred to an Oklahoma military base while on active military duty. The bill was requested by the U.S. Department of Defense to bring Oklahoma in line with other states under the National Compact on the Education of Military Children.
Oklahoma has five military installations, including the U.S. Army’s Fort Still in Lawton and Altus Air Force Base.
Senate Bill 69 would allow children of active military personnel being transferred to Oklahoma to enroll in a statewide virtual charter school. Currently, only Oklahoma residents can enroll in virtual charters.
Krista Ratliff, Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive officer, supports the two legislative measures.
“As a parent of three military children, I can personally attest to the importance and value of getting children back in school after a move in a timely manner,” she said. “The passing of Senate bills 68 and 69 would allow for our military children to jump right in, get acclimated quicker and have less of an educational gap between transfers.”
Officials in the Oklahoma Department of Education had no objections to the two measures, Simpson said.
“With five military installations in Oklahoma, we have a lot of families transferring in and out. Military life is difficult enough – I want to make enrolling in school as easy as possible, so these families have one less stressful thing to deal with when they move,” Simpson said.
Both bills require schools to accept electronic enrollment applications for these students and the parents must provide proof of residence within 10 days of moving to Oklahoma.
Lawton Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Hime doesn’t believe the two legislative measures will affect the district’s status with Fort Sill.
“In its present form, SB 68 and 69 have little impact on our district. We have a great relationship and partnership with Fort Sill,” he said. “We work in unison with our military school liaison and continue to be flexible as we meet the needs of families. We strive to ensure our military families have a smooth transition during their relocation to our community and school district.”