JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
Whether it’s helping children adjust to a new school or
connecting them to educational resources, members of the Joint Base San Antonio
School Liaison Office serve the needs of 25,000 military-connected students in
the JBSA area.
Members of the school liaison office serve as advocates for
military students who are enrolled in 23 school districts in the San Antonio
area and their families, providing services that help children transitioning to
a new school and connecting them to resources to help with their learning, said
Angela Green, 802nd Force Support Squadron school liaison officer at
JBSA-Randolph.
Green has worked with children for more than 20 years,
including as a teacher in the Head Start program and at the Randolph Child
Development Center. She is also a military spouse with two children who have
moved from school to school.
Green said she assists military parents who are new to the
area with enrolling their children in school, including information about the
school, school contacts, the records they will need, what immunizations will be
required and educating them about the Interstate Compact on Educational
Opportunity for Children.
The compact is an agreement among the states to minimize and
resolve school transition issues for military children transferring from one
state to another, including eligibility, enrollment, placement and graduation.
“We try to initiate every opportunity to help their
transition be as smooth as possible,” Green said.
Members of the JBSA School Liaison Office also talk to
school administrators, counselors and teachers about the Interstate Compact on
Educational Opportunity for Children and what it covers, Green said.
“If educators understand the Interstate Compact on
Educational Opportunity for Children and know about those laws, it’s much
easier for the transition of our families,” Green said.
In addition, Green said staff members need to be aware of
the issues and challenges facing children of
military members and their families.
According to statistics provided by the JBSA School Liaison
Office, military students are frequently on the move, with Air Force families
moving an average of every 2.9 years and military schoolchildren attending nine
different schools before they graduate.
“We are not asking
for special treatment for our military children,” Green said. “We want them to
understand what our families are going through.”
Green said she provides information about educational
resources and programs that can help both students and parents, including
Military One Source, Military Child Education Coalition, Student Online
Resource and the Exceptional Family Member Program, which helps military
schoolchildren with special educational needs.
Allana Hemenway, Randolph Elementary School principal, said
Green is a helpful resource on programs and services that can help students at
the school and their families.
“If we have a military student that may be in crisis, she
will help us access the resources to assist the parent and child,” Hemenway
said. “Our military members can have a stressful life and career. We want to
make sure we are doing what’s best for their child at school by working with
Ms. Green.”
Hemenway said Green keeps the lines of communication open
between the school and the parents.
“She’s that bridge between us and our parents,” she said.
“It’s nice to have her support to cross over the bridge to meet the parents. It
benefits the educational experience of the child and that’s what it’s all
about.”
Green is one of three school liaison officers in the JBSA
School Liaison Office, including Lori Phipps at JBSA-Lackland and Keith Toney
at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston. Green can be reached at 652-5321, Phipps at 671-3722
and Toney at 221-2214.