Gov. Tate Reeves signed two executive orders on Monday to better support military children in state schools and families living in military installations.
“As long as I am governor, Mississippi will do everything in our power to support our military members and their families,” Reeves said at a press conference.
Executive Order 1561 creates the Military Star School Program to support military children who have to frequently switch schools due to their parents’ new postings. The order recognizes that “military children face unique challenges related to military transitions and parental deployment,” and that they should be “celebrated for the courage they display as the children of our nation’s armed service members.”
Order 1561 also establishes a basis for requiring schools applying for the Military Star designation to:
- Designate a staff member as a Military Ambassador
- Maintain a webpage on the school’s website which includes resources for military students and their families
- Maintain a peer-to-peer transition program that assists military students into the school
- Offer professional development training opportunities for staff members on issues relating to military students.
“A school that bears the military star will let families know that Mississippi schools will not only give their children the educational skills to be life, college and ultimately workforce ready. But this school also supports their well-being as the child of a military-connected family,” Reeves said.
According to the Military State Policy Source, there were about 7,700 active-duty children and 13,300 National Guard and reserve children in 2021. There are about 30,600 active duty, National Guard and reserve service members combined.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, almost all school districts educate a child whose parent or guardian is serving in the Armed Forces, regardless of location or duty status. There are more than 1.2 million school-aged children of service men and women, and 80% of those children attend public schools.
Boston Sharp is a senior mechanical engineering major, and he plans to join the Marine Corps after graduation. He said that although he was not a military child, he sees the benefits of having a known confidante once you arrive in a new place.
“New is not always fun, and as someone who is more introverted, meeting new people can be a tough task,” he said. “It would be nice to be assigned to someone you can talk to, trust and do things with.”
Executive Order 1562 establishes the Mississippi Defense Communities Development Council for men and women living on state military bases to converse with lawmakers to improve their quality of living. The council will be overseen by the Governor’s Office of Military Affairs in the Mississippi Development Authority.
Order 1562 requires each active duty military installation and National Guard training center in the state to be represented. The council will be made of one primary and one alternative representative from each of the 12 military installations located throughout the state.
An article from Mississippi Today said Tom Williams, president of the Meridian Airport Authority, has been appointed as the chair to the new council. The new organization aims to be proactive, rather than reactive in expanding, improving and protecting the state’s military installations, according to Williams.
Sharp said this order is a good idea for military families because they normally have limited options once they join the military.
“Allowing these families to have a say in their own lives seems only a fitting way we can give back to the men and women who serve this country willingly,” Sharp said.
