New School Liaison Program to help military families

Aaron Long, the new NAS Jax Youth Activities Center director, and new NAS Jax School Liaison Officer Dawn Mills meet to discuss some new programs that will be introduced to families aboard the base.

"I am here to help by acting as the communications and service link between the base, military parents and the local schools. I am the advocate and transition person," said Mills. "There is a huge need for this program and that's why it was created. Many people leave the military because of the transitions. It's hard for families to relocate so often. Most military families transfer at least six times during a military career, so I'm here to make this transition, coming and going, a little easier for them."

Mills covers five counties within an hour drive of the base including Duval, Clay, Baker, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns. For issues outside her area, the SLO at Navy Region Southeast can provide assistance. "This is a new program for many bases and is a work in progress. I think it's a wonderful idea because it not only helps the families, but will help school officials understand the life of the military child especially deployment issues," she added. "It's such a multi-level program."

Mills gives several examples on how she can help military families with school-age children. "If a parent transfers in and they have a special needs child, they can come to me with their child's individual education plan and I can help them find a school to accommodate them," she said.

"Or, if a parent transfers here in January and they have a senior in high school who is supposed to graduate in June and they haven't taken the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, we can help with that to see if they can be waived."

Other issues Mills will assist with include state requirements, graduation requirements, course sequencing, school schedules, deployment support, extracurricular activities, records transfer, school quality and providing referrals both inside and outside the military community.

"By being part of a military family with two children, I understand the difficulty students have with these transitions. A lot of military children miss out on opportunities at school because they are considered 'transients,'" remarked Mills. "I am here to ensure our military children don't miss out on opportunities offered. I will be talking with school officials and teachers to help them better understand the military lifestyle and am attending school board meetings to keep current on what changes are being made in the different school districts."

"Duval County will be offering the OnCourse Program this year which will help deployed parents stay in touch with their child's school. This program allows them to log on to check attendance records and test scores and help them stay connected," she added.

Mills is currently working on setting up here office in the Youth Activities Center (Building 2065) and attending some training classes. "As soon as I get set up and finish training, I plan to hit the ground running. It's a great program and I am happy to be here to help our military families," said Mills.

Meet Dawn Mills, school liaison officer " Military wife for 23 years, married to retired STGC Patrick Mills " Mother of two children, Jeremy, 27, and Patrick, 19. " Worked at Fletcher High School for seven years in student services which encompasses guidance, assisting school administrators and handling discipline issues. " Worked at Darnell-Cookman Middle/High School, School of the Medical Arts Magnet Program for the past year. " Volunteered as the ombudsman for USS Taylor at NS Mayport. " Volunteered as NS Mayport base assembly ombudsman chairperson.