West Virginia becomes the 36th state to enact the Compact since 2008. The Compact is to be signed into law this morning at 9:30 AM in the Governor’s Reception Room. Brigadier General (Ret.) Norman E. Arflack, Executive Director of the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission, will be in attendance.

The Compact provides for the uniform treatment of military children transferring between school districts and states. It was developed by The Council of State Governments’ National Center for Interstate Compacts, the Department of Defense, national associations, federal and state officials, the Department of Education of each state, school administrators and military families.

Military families move between postings on a regular basis, and while reassignments can often be a boon for career personnel, they can be difficult for the children of military families. The average military student faces transition challenges more than twice during high school and most military children will attend six to nine different school systems in their lives from kindergarten to 12th grade. The Compact therefore seeks to make transition easier for the children of military families so that they are afforded the same opportunities for educational success as other children and are not penalized or delayed in achieving their educational goals.

The Department of Defense will continue to work with the Commission, Council of State Governments, national organizations, and state leaders to bring the remaining states on board. Currently, there is active legislation in seven states. Member states are beginning to form their State Councils and inform school districts of the terms of the Compact. The Commission has met three times and is working to implement and communicate the requirements of the Compact.

For more information on the Interstate Compact or the Commission, please visit the MIC3 website at www.mic3.net.