Cheyenne legislator hopes to better support military-connected students

CHEYENNE — Rep. Landon Brown has filed a bill for the Wyoming Legislature’s upcoming general session that would set the foundation for the Purple Star School program in the state’s K-12 schools. 

The Cheyenne Republican lawmaker wants to streamline assistance for military-connected students and to ensure their transitions from one school to another are well-supported. 

He said he was approached two years ago by the U.S. Department of Defense to introduce the bill and has been working since then to implement the program with the Wyoming Department of Education. 

There are an estimated 1.2 million active-duty military-connected students enrolled in schools in the U.S. and abroad who advocates say are impacted by the responsibilities of military families and frequent moves. 

Although advocates have tried to have Wyoming public schools become Purple Star Schools without legislation, he said it needs to be codified to get it up and running properly. 

“This is just a step in the right direction to make sure that we’re doing everything possible to make that transition into a new community and a new school system as seamless as possible,” Brown told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. 

Schools must take certain actions to qualify for the program and may voluntarily apply. 

Qualifications include having a designated military liaison who serves as a point of contact, develops appropriate and relevant services, handles relocation, registration and transferring records to and from schools and helps with academic planning.

As the bill is currently written, the liaison would also make counseling and other support services available for military-connected students at the schools and offer professional development for staff members on related issues. 

“We have a lot of kids moving in and out of Wyoming, specifically the Cheyenne area, and we needed to make sure that there was a single point of contact for these children and their families,” Brown said. “It’s already a hectic time, and we wanted to make sure that we had a streamlined process.” 

These are the same criteria required by the Purple Star School designation program that is spreading nationally. 

Thirty-seven states have received the designation, and six others have proposed legislation, not including Wyoming. 

A school must also meet the criteria by doing at least one of the following: The district’s board of trustees could adopt a resolution showing support for military-connected students and their families, have a military family month with events, or partner with a local military installation to host a field trip or have a member speak at a school assembly. 

Deputy Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Chad Auer said he sees this as an additional layer of support for military families. 

He applauded Brown for drafting the bill and said it is the kind of leadership that Wyoming deserves. 

“Moving around is particularly difficult for kids who are of school age,” he told the WTE. “It makes absolute sense for us here in Wyoming to do what’s right.” 

Auer said he hasn’t heard any complaints regarding services for military-connected students, but there is always more that can be done. 

He also said representatives from the Air Force have had many important conversations about the needs of students and families, and they aren’t always going to step forward and ask for support. He said they are tough and resilient by nature, and he has always admired those characteristics. 

However, Auer said just because their needs might not be vocalized, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t provide for them. 

“Every family has stress and has challenges, but military families have particular challenges,” he said. “Those involve either one or both parents being involved with military assignments, and sometimes those assignments require the spouse to be gone for a long period of time. The Purple Star Schools program would provide ongoing support.” 

Brown has received feedback from military community members who are concerned with the enrollment process if they don’t have an address or are transferring to a new school. 

He said there is also a need for mental health services in the school district for military family members. 

He dispelled talk about any connection between the bill filing and recent incidents in Laramie County School District 1. 

Several military families have left Cheyenne and F.E. Warren Air Force Base following students of color being called inappropriate slurs and experiencing racist interactions, which Brown condemned. 

“We’ve got to do better than what we’ve been doing as a community, and we certainly cannot allow that to continue to happen,” he said. “This bill had no connection with that, but it certainly is a step in the right direction to making sure that our military families understand how much they mean to us.”