KISD works to help military students transfer Posted On: Wednesday, Nov. 25 2009 05:10 AM By Rebecca LaFlure
Killeen Daily Herald

Killeen Independent School District officials are taking steps to comply with a new state law that helps military students moving to Texas easily transfer from one school to another.

In May, Gov. Rick Perry signed Senate Bill 90, authorizing Texas to join the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. The compact is part of a nationwide effort to ease the challenges military children face during frequent moves.

"We are more affected by this legislation than any other district in the state," KISD Superintendent Robert Muller said Tuesday at a board workshop meeting. "We are working to implement all of the provision, and put the policies in place immediately."

The legislation will help military children enroll in Texas schools quickly and ensure students have the same opportunities to graduate on time.

The new law calls for all Texas school districts to place students in the same grade levels they were in at their previous schools, and gives students the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities, even if they transferred to the school after tryouts took place.

It also requires that districts:

Accept courses from previous schools.

Accept students' unofficial transcripts until official transcripts are mailed.

Allow students to attend class for 30 days before getting vaccinated.

Honor class and program placements from other schools.

Accept other states' standardized tests and give students excused absences before and after a parent's deployment.

Muller said KISD has worked for many years to alleviate transition issues for military children due to its close proximity to Fort Hood. KISD already put in place many of the mandates in SB 90, but district officials are working to implement all of the provisions.

"We're definitely ahead of the game," Muller said.

In January, KISD and seven other area schools will sign a memorandum of agreement with Fort Hood that addresses transition problems, primarily related to military students in high school.

"We want to make sure it's not Fort Hood over here and KISD over here," Cherie Cain, Fort Hood school liaison officer, said Tuesday. "We want it to be a partnership."

Contact Rebecca LaFlure at rlaflure@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7548.