New ALEC Model Policy Improves School Transitions for Military-Connected Children

For military-connected children, frequent moves and the disruptions that accompany them are a normal fact of life. Over one million American school-aged children have at least one active-duty parent, and more than 80% attend public schools. On average, these students will change schools six to nine times between kindergarten and high school, relocating every two to three years. To accommodate the mobility inherent in military life, state legislators across the United States are introducing measures to ensure smooth school transitions for military-connected children.

These state-level efforts build upon a broader national framework. The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, developed in 2007 and adopted by all states and the District of Columbia, establishes consistent guidelines for enrollment, placement, attendance, eligibility, and graduation. The Compact is governed by the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3) and was designed to address some of the many challenges that arise when military families move across state lines, such as preventing the loss of academic credit or maintaining extracurricular eligibility.

However, while the Compact provides a strong foundation, it has been unable to adopt new provisions in the nearly 20 years since it was established, since any amendment would require unanimous legislative approval by all member states. Instead, the MIC3 has endorsed state approaches to create additional provisions that fill gaps for military-connected students.

Last month, the ALEC Veterans and Military Affairs Task Force adopted the Uniformed Services Child School Transitions Act as a model policy to augment existing Compact provisions for military families. The model policy is based on the Arkansas Military Child School Transitions Act of 2021, which was recognized by the Department of War as the “most robust mechanism to increase flexibility, oversight, accountability, and consistency of the Compact and other supportive policies and programs for [military-connected children].”

While the Compact primarily addresses interstate transfers for active-duty families, the Uniformed Services Child School Transitions Act expands eligibility to include National Guard members, reservists, and dual-status military technicians. It also creates a smoother school transition by allowing military families to enroll their children as soon as a required move is confirmed, rather than waiting until they physically arrive in the new school district. Additionally, the model allows families to request virtual course enrollment to help incoming students adapt to new curricula, which can be critical for ensuring that incoming 12^th graders can graduate on time.

The model also enhances services for students with disabilities, designates military family education coordinators to guide military families through school transitions, and assigns clear responsibilities for implementation. By adopting these provisions, states can ease the burdens of transition for military children and help ensure educational continuity amid the unique demands of military life.