Photo By Jason Ragucci | Fort Bragg Garrison Command team, Col. John Wilcox and Command Sgt. Maj. Gregory...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. – The annual garrison commander’s educators meeting brought representatives from the surrounding counties’ schools to Smith Lake Recreation Area to discuss challenges and relevant updates about military children and Families who work and live at Fort Bragg on March 21.
The garrison command team, Garrison Commander Col. John Wilcox and Command Sgt. Maj. Gregory Seymour, also spoke about the name redesignation to Fort Liberty to the superintendent representatives.
The school liaison officer for Fort Bragg, Gerhard Guevarra, encouraged military Families to carry high school transcripts to their follow-on assignments, which allows incoming schools to place students in proper classes quicker and with minimal errors. On average, a military child attends over eight schools during their academic years.
During the annual meeting, Fort Bragg’s Department of Defense Education Activity Superintendent, Kathy Downs, raised concerns about special education.
“If we do what we always have done, we’re going to get what we always got,” said Downs. “We are lacking additional resources for our special needs children, but we are committed in making things better.”
Military Families with a special needs Family member, also known as an Exceptional Family Member, often require additional help in meeting the EFM’s needs. To support Families with special needs, the Army created the Exceptional Family Member Program.
EFMP provides:
• Comprehensive and coordinated community support
• Housing
• Educational, medical, and personal services to Families with special needs.
There are currently 4,493 Families enrolled in the program here, the highest for any military installation.
In addition to the installation representatives’ updates, each county presented important community school information and changes.
Cumberland County schools’ superintendent, Marvin Connelly, Jr., stated over 50,000 students and over 30 percent are military connected. Due to the increased military connections in the school systems, the county is normalizing the live streaming of graduation ceremonies. Family, friends, and deployed service members can to log in and watch their military child walk across the stage.
“A new E.E. Smith High School will be located off Honeycutt Road across from Simmons Army Airfield as we move into the twenty-second century,” said Connelly. “The new school will cost over 160 million dollars.”
Hoke County schools have nearly 9,000 students, with 22% being military-connected. Rockfish “Colts” Elementary School has the most military students by population. A new program called FRESH, Facilitate Reading for Every Student in Hoke County, has been established with excellent reviews.
Moore County schools have over 13,000 students, with 19% being military-connected.
“We have a monthly military forum that encourages middle and high school military students to attend and offer suggestions or concerns to our educators,” said superintendent Tim Locklear.
Harnett County schools are military friendly, earning the distinction of being a Purple Star District. Military high school students from Fort Bragg’s Linden Oaks community overpopulate Overhills High School and Western Harnett High School.
“We have approved funds in building a new middle and high school in the Highland area,” said Superintendent Aaron Fleming.
Robeson County will build a new career center serving over a thousand students from the approved need-based grant.
“The career center will house a state-of-the-art planetary and science center,” said superintendent Freddie Williamson.
Beyond the changes coming to and the challenges faced by school districts, the superintendents and representatives from the surrounding county schools got the opportunity to hear from the Fort Bragg garrison command team about the name redesignation to Fort Liberty and the proposed grand opening of the Sunset Liberty March.
“Fort Bragg is the greatest installation in the world because of the people who live and work here, and that is not changing,” said Wilcox. “We recognize the principle of liberty that all veterans strive towards and unites them in the cause.”
Seymour nodded in agreement, fully supporting the name redesignation to Fort Liberty.
“What better word, value, or adjective describes all the freedom fighters protecting our rights who came out of this installation but never made it back home,” said Seymour. “Liberty to me, is a way to describe everyone who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country.”
June 1, 2023, is the start date for the Sunset Liberty March. The march will be along a path that visibly honors all past, present, and future veterans and memorializes the history and sacrifice of all who served and continue to serve.
“The march intends to remind us that we walk together towards a common goal that is arrived at through hard work and sacrifice,” stated Wilcox. “Liberty for all.”
School Liaison Officers are a parent’s best support in education and schools. SLOs work in partnership with local-public-school districts and home school Families to enhance the educational experience for students. School support services include transition/deployment support, homeschool connection, installation/school communication, partnerships in education, and post-secondary opportunities. Contact Fort Bragg’s SLOs for any questions about K-12 education, on and off post: 910-432-1023, 910- 908-2619, or 910-396-3338.
| Date Taken: | 03.21.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.30.2023 10:43 |
| Story ID: | 441566 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 217 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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