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LBSD Proud to Have All Five Schools Earn Mississippi's Inaugural Military Star School Designation

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Long Beach School District is proud to have all five schools earn the designation of Mississippi Military Star School. The inaugural group of 61 schools from 12 districts in Mississippi is being honored by Governor Tate Reeves and Mississippi’s State Superintendent of Education, Dr. Robert Taylor, for their efforts and significant commitment to supporting military families and children of service members.

Long Beach Superintendent Dr. Talia Lock is proud of this new designation for her schools.

“Long Beach is a System of Excellence, but more importantly we are a family,” Lock said.

“Our schools work hard to make sure the children of military families in our district are receiving the support they need to be successful. It can be challenging for children to face reassignments that cause moves and deployments where they may not see a parent for an extended period of time.”

Schools must meet specific requirements that address the unique needs of military students and families to receive the Military Star School designation. Some of these requirements include providing student-led transition services and peer support, appointing a dedicated school liaison for military families, and publicly recognizing service members and their families. In addition, schools must provide professional development for staff to specifically train them on how to respond to the needs of military students and families.

Assistant Superintendent Lori Price led the application process for Long Beach.

“Earning these designations from this program is a tribute to each school's dedication to our military children. The teamwork and commitment that went into obtaining this recognition is another example of why the Long Beach School District is a ‘System of Excellence’,” Price said.

Governor Tate Reeves signed Executive Order NO. 1561- Military Star School Program on February 21, 2022. The program awards public schools a Military Star designation if they have certain resources in place to accommodate children of a current or former member of the military. Mississippi’s Military Star School program is designed to help schools respond to the educational and social-emotional challenges military-connected children face during their transition to a new school and keep them on track to be college, workforce, and life-ready. Military-connected refers to children of service members on active duty, and in the National Guard and Reserves.

Mississippi is one of 31 states with programs to formally recognize schools that support military families. These designations are for a two-year period and schools can reapply to maintain their designations.