LANSING – The Michigan House today passed a plan spearheaded by State Representative Gino H. Polidori (D-Dearborn) that would enter Michigan into a nationwide compact designed to make it easier for children of military families to change schools when their parents are transferred.
"When a military family is uprooted by a transfer, it can be tough on the kids," Polidori said. "A child in a military family may attend as many as nine or 10 schools between kindergarten and graduation. These kids face social and academic challenges, and their parents often face significant red tape when they try to enroll their children in school. We must take action to make these transitions easier on our military families."
The plan would enter Michigan in the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. The compact covers a wide range of common obstacles and inconsistencies faced by military families as they transfer from one state to another, including the transfer of records, kindergarten and first-entrance age, course sequencing and graduation requirements. The compact, in part, would:
Allow students to enroll in school with hand-carried records until official paperwork arrives.
Allow students to avoid repeating content or falling behind because of missed prerequisites.
Give families a 30-day window to meet any immunization requirements.
Prevent students from being punished for missing entrance or exit exams, or from being excluded from extracurricular activities.
Ensure that varying graduation requirements do not prevent a student from graduating.
The compact is a joint effort between state legislatures, the Department of Defense, the Council of State Governments and the education community. It will go into effect once 10 states have enacted legislation agreeing to join. This type of legislation has been introduced in 19 other states, 10 of which have already taken some action. The first 10 states that approve the compact will formalize its policies.
"By acting quickly, Michigan can have a seat at the table in determining the policies that will make school transitions easier for our military families," Polidori said. "Education is the key to our children becoming successful and being able to compete for the good-paying jobs of the 21st century. This plan will help make sure that our children will have every opportunity to succeed."