The School District has received a Purple Star designation for the entire district, meaning all 26 schools have increased support for military-connected students and their families.
District officials said in a news release Monday they have over 200 military-connected students in the district because of its proximity to the 188th Wing at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas Air National Guard and the Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center.
The district also is preparing for more military families to move to Fort Smith if the city is selected as the home for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter planes and a Republic of Singapore General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon squadron through the Foreign Military Sales program.
“As a Purple Star District, we are committed to connecting with this important group of youth and their families as they call Fort Smith home for a short or extended period of time,” said Michael Farrell, district supervisor of student services and district military liaison.
The program helps schools respond to the educational and social-emotional challenges military-connected children face as they move to new schools every few years due to a parent’s change in duty station, according to the Military Child Education Coalition website. This includes adapting to new cultures, school populations, curricula, standards, course offerings, schedules and graduation requirements.