The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) has announced it is accepting applications for school districts in the state to apply for Purple Star Campus designation. The Purple Star program is designed to help schools respond to the educational and personal challenges military-connected children face during their transition to a new school and keep them on track to be college-, workforce- and life-ready.
Oklahoma public schools include nearly 30,000 military-connected students whose parents or guardians are active-duty military or serve in a reserve or National Guard component. Purple Star Schools provide academic and wraparound support services specific to military-connected children, who change schools much more frequently than their civilian peers and face high rates of academic and emotional stress.
Schools serving military-connected students can apply to be a Purple Star campus in two phases. The first, for districts already qualified, has an application deadline of Oct. 3. Applications will reopen in Jan. 2023 for districts that need time to build out their program; the deadline for spring applications will be Feb. 28. To see a recent research report on the impact of the Purple Star program in four states, visit: https://www.militarychild.org/upload/files/purple%20star/MCEC_Purple_Star_Report_Final_20.04.pdf
Interested districts can request a link to an application by emailing Elizabeth Suddath, OSDE’s assistant deputy superintendent of student support, at Elizabeth.Suddath@sde.ok.gov.