Athens City Primary, Athens City Intermediate, and Athens City Middle School receives Tennessee Purple Star School Award
The Tennessee MIC3 is very pleased to announce that Athens City Primary, Athens City Intermediate, and Athens City Middle School has been awarded the Tennessee Purple Star School Award. They are one of fifty-one schools in Tennessee to receive this award.
The Tennessee Purple Star School Award was designed to highlight military-friendly schools that show a major commitment to serving students and families connected to our nation’s military. Awardees receive a special recognition to display in their buildings. A school must reapply every two years to maintain the recognition status.
Schools are eligible for the award if they
have a point of contact (POC) within the school that has completed a professional development component specific to the needs of military connected students,
the POC must provide information to their school’s staff on issues facing their military related learners,
the school website must contain a page that provides resources for military families, and
the school then chooses an additional activity that aligns with the school’s population and goals.
For families, the designation will help guide them to schools that have supports in place.
In November 2019, the Tennessee Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission, MIC3, opened applications for the first round of Tennessee Purple Star School Award. The award is presented to a new class each spring. The award is designed to recognize military-friendly schools in Tennessee.
The Purple Star School Award aligns with the components in the Military Interstate Compact. Children in military families experience many challenges: transfers to multiple schools, adapting to new environments or a parent deployed to a war zone. Military connected children have needs that are different from other students. Tennessee has 10,230 children in active-duty families and 14,560 in Guard and Reserve families. The compact addresses the key educational transition issues encountered by military families including enrollment, placement, attendance, eligibility, and graduation. The compact was adopted by all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Tennessee adopted the compact in 2011. Tennessee has 10,230 children in active-duty families and 14,560 in Guard and Reserve families.