School Liaison Program

As military parents of school-age children are aware, there are unique issues to students transitioning to new schools whether at the beginning of the school year or in the middle of the school year. Parents worry if the local school offers a quality education, students worry about fitting in, and everyone worries if the credits the students have earned will transfer. It is the goal of the School Liaison Officer at Fort Myer is to provide general information on common questions. Although children living on Fort Myer attend the Arlington County Public Schools, many soldiers in-process through Fort Myer but live and attend schools throughout the National Capitol Region. Therefore, this webpage will include information about the major school districts in Northern Virginia, Western Maryland and the District of Columbia. Welcome!

Virginia has several requirements for students enrolling in the public schools. State law requires that students must attend school if they have reached their fifth birthday by September 30 and have not passed their 18 th birthday. Students are required to attend school in the district where their parent or guardian resides at. Students may be enrolled as tuition-paying students only when space is available in the school requested. A parent or guardian must be present with proof of address (i.e.: your mortgage or rental contract/lease, settlement papers, mortgage coupon book), medical information such as immunization records as well as a physical examination and a TB test within the 12 months prior to starting school, your child's social security number (if available) and official school records from another school system or county.

Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Pertussis Vaccine (DPT)
Poliomyelitis Vaccine
Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)
Haemophilus Influenza Type B Vaccine
Hepatitis B Vaccine
HIB Vaccine

Maryland also has several requirements that are different from Virginia. It used to be the rule that every child who is five years old on or before December 31 must be enrolled in a public school kindergarten or other approved program by the Maryland State Department of Education. This school year, 2005-2006, the cut-off date will be November 30. The change will be phased in at a rate of one month per year to be fully implemented by the 2007-2008 school year when the cut-off date will be September 30th.

Fort Myer is located in Arlington County next to the Arlington Cemetery and the Iwo Jima Memorial. School-age and youth living on Fort Myer attend the Arlington County Public Schools. The Arlington County Public Schools provide an excellent public education to our military school-age and youth. Many schools in the National Capital Region are highly regarded nationally, and some have made the Newsweek magazine's TOP 100 high schools list. Three out of the four high schools in the Arlington County were in the top 28 schools in the United States. Washington-Lee High School was one of these schools.

Since Fort Myer is the hub for in-processing soldiers who work at the Pentagon, offices in Crystal City, and other office areas, we provide information about all the school districts that our soldiers might choose to live in the National Capitol Region (NCR). Check these links for additional school districts in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Northern Virginia Private Schools

St. Charles School PK-8
St. Thomas Moore Cathedral School PK-8
Arlington Diocese

The Virginia Department of Education's website is http://www.pen.k12.va.us/. State Requirements for registration, home instruction, graduation requirements, Standards of Learning, and school accreditation information can be found there.

The Maryland State Department of Education's website is http:www.msde.state.md.us/. State requirements for registration, home instruction, graduation requirements, Content Standards, and the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program and other important information can be found there.

www.hslda.org
Home School Legal Defense Association is a nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms. Through annual memberships, HSLDA is tens of thousands of families united in service together, providing a strong voice when and where needed.

www.homeschool.com
Homeschool.com was created to empower parents to create the ideal school for their child at home! Homeschool.com’s founding principle is to consistently provide resources, information, and support to all homeschooling families.

www.nhen.org
The National Home Education Network exists to encourage and facilitate the vital grassroots work of state and local homeschooling organizations and individuals by providing information, fostering networking and promoting public relations on a national level. Because we believe there is strength in a diverse network of homeschoolers, we support the freedom of all individual families to choose home education and to direct such education.

www.wwidea.org
The WorldWide Independent Distance Education Academy (WorldWide IDEA) serves U.S. military families living overseas in Remote Locations when or where DoDDS are not available through our DoDEA-sponsored academy. Our private academy serves homeschooling families anywhere in the U.S. or abroad. The DoDEA academy is run in partnership with DoDDS, I-CATT and WW IDEA.

www.fafsa.ed.gov
U.S. Department of Education free application for federal Student aid web site. The web site includes general student aid information; how to get organized before filling out the application; worksheets to help you fill out the application; and application deadlines.

www.studentaid.ed.gov<
U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid web site. This web site is for students, parents and counselors who are interested in finding student aid for perspective college bound students. The web site includes applicatio s and forms; information on how to manage student loans; and federal student aid publications, brochures and fact sheets.

www.collegeboard.com
Understand all of your options when it comes to paying for college. We can help you get the latest information about college costs, scholarships, financial aid applications, education loans, and college financing.

www.fedmoney.org
The most comprehensive FREE full-text online resource on all U.S. government grants and student financial aid programs. Here you will find detailed and up-to-date information about (1) who can apply, (2) how to apply, (3) full contact info, and much more... for over 130 government grants and loans (scholarships, fellowships, traineeships) related to education!

www.salliemae.com
The nation’s leading provider of student loans, helping millions of Americans achieve the dream of a higher education. The website addresses what to do before college; how to get educational loans; and what to do upon graduation.

www.students.gov
Students. Gov is an official U.S. government web site designed for college students and their Families. Our mission is to provide you with easy access to information and resources from the U.S. Government—all the info you need, in one place, from all parts of the government. Topic area include choosing the right college; applying online for financial aid scholarships; finding summer internships or jobs; learning about careers that interest you; and tapping into government research databases.

www.military.com (click on education)
Find millions of dollars in scholarships and grants exclusively for the military community.

ttp://www.mcsfex.net/
United States Marine Corps' Scholarship and Financial Aid Explorer (SFeX)

College Board Examinations
Useful information for students, parents, and educators regarding the PSAT, SAT, and Advanced Placement Examinations.

www.collegenet.com
College search, financial aid, scholarship search and online application process.

www.campustours.com
Virtual tours, web cams, interactive maps, links to college homepages.

www.collegeanswer.com
College and financial aid advice, interactive financial aid calculator, scholarship search.

http://www.militaryscholar.org/
The Scholarships for Military Children Program was created to recognize the contributions of military families to the readiness of the fighting force and to celebrate the role of the commissary in the military family community.

Designed to help with life's issues. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year you can access information.

www.stompproject.org
STOMP is the only National Parent Training and Information Center for military families providing support and advice to military parents without regard of the type of medical condition their child has.

www.cec.sped.org
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional standards, provides professional development, advocates for individuals with exceptionalities, and helps professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice.

www.ldonline.org
LD Online is the leading website on learning disabilities, learning disorders and differences. Parents and teachers of learning disabled children will find ...

www.nectac.org/
NECTAC is the national early childhood technical assistance center supported by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs. NECTAC serves all 50 states and 10 jurisdictions with an array of services and supports to improve service systems and outcomes for infants, toddlers, and preschool aged children with special needs and their families.

www.militarystudent.dod.mil
The Department of Defense has developed a comprehensive plan that provides military families with the tools and information needed to make informed choices regarding the appropriate educational setting for each child. Through the publications, resources and websites listed here, parents can access information necessary to compare options, make sound education decisions, and become involved and informed advocated of quality education.

Designed to help with life's issues. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year you can access information.

Non-profit, world-wide organization that identifies the challenges that face the highly mobile military child.

Serving the Educational needs of Military Families. A partnership to guarantee a continuum of quality education for the Military Child.

A place for parents, educators and leaders to research information about public schools.

www.operationmilitarykids.org
Through a network of community partners, OMK provides youth program opportunities for school age, middle school and teenaged youth and connects them to support resources where they live.

www.USA4MilitaryFamilies.org
The USA4 Military Families initiative seeks to engage and educate state policymakers, not-for-profit associations, concerned business interests, and other state leaders about the needs of Military members and their families, particularly as those needs intersect with state public policy. Through state/military partnerships, DoD seeks to develop relationships with states, work with them to remove unnecessary barriers, and significantly improve the quality of life for military families.

www.dodea.edu
DoDEA's schools serve the children of military service members and Department of Defense civilian employees throughout the world.

www.ed.gov/parents/academic/involve/nclbchecklist.html
This section of the Department of Education website provides an excellent, comprehensive list of questions to ask a prospective new school. The website also includes information on charter school grants and other education options.

http://www.nmfa.org
NMFA, “The Voice for Military Families,” is dedicated to providing information to and representing the interests of Family members of the uniformed services. In addition to information on deployment, education, Family life and health care, NMFA provides valuable links to other useful sites designed to give you the latest information available. They have a “Back to School” section which includes many links to valuable information on education for students and parents.

www.soarathome.org
SOAR is an innovative program that makes it easy for parents to play an active role in their children’s education. SOAR is designed for military families, and is easily accessible worldwide. Students take an assessment aligned to state standards, and SOAR directs them to individualized tutorials to improve skills where needed. Parents can monitor their children’s progress from anywhere, and are provided with resource materials.

www.usmc-mccs.org/library/tutor
The Tutor.com network of over 2,200 professional tutors has delivered more than 3.5 million one-to-one tutoring sessions. Each tutor has earned a degree and has completed extensive background checks. Online homework help is available at installation MCCS libraries or 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by visiting www.usmc-mccs.org/library/tutor/. All that is needed is a computer with Internet access. Authorized MCCS patrons who want to use the site from
home must contact their installation library for password and login
information.

militaryk12partners.dodea.edu/index.html
The Department of Defense Educational Partnership Directorate has launched a new website focused on providing information that directly relates to the work of educators and administrators in military-connected school systems. The site provides a wealth of information about resources available for schools located around the country that serve military families, and provides information for school liaison officers which will help point schools in the direction of available resources.
To visit the site, go to: http://militaryk12partners.dodea.edu/ or for more information, go to: http://www.dodea.edu/.

No Child Left Behind
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a landmark in education reform designed to improve student achievement and change the culture of America's schools.

U.S. Department of Education
ED's mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.

Military Impacted Schools Association
Military Impacted Schools Association (MISA) is a national organization representing school districts that serve high concentrations of military children. The organization works to provide a continuum of quality education for all military children.