[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 69 (Tuesday, April 29, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E766]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     COMMENDING THE STATE OF KANSAS

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                          HON. NANCY E. BOYDA

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 29, 2008

  Mrs. BOYDA of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I would like to commend the 
state of Kansas for passing the Interstate Compact on Educational 
Opportunity for Military Children Kansas (Kansas House Bill 2714).
  Military parents, like all parents, want a high-quality education for 
their children. Due to the nature of their jobs, which often require 
frequent moves, military families are too often faced with extra 
challenges. The enactment of the Interstate Compact on Educational 
Opportunity for Military Children is truly a hallmark for the state of 
Kansas. It will remove the educational barriers military children often 
face when parents must move to another state or are deployed.
  The bill creates a pact with other states to streamline the school 
transfer process. It includes many creative solutions such as allowing 
students to use hand-carried records, rather than waiting on schools to 
transfer records, and requiring districts that do transfer records to 
do so within 10 days. it also gives extra excused absences to children 
with a parent who is deploying or returning and lets students enroll in 
advanced courses and special education programs previously enrolled in. 
Further, it provides schools with the choice to enroll students into 
extracurricular programs midseason and waive prerequisites
  Provisions in the bill will apply to children of active members of 
the military, including those members severely injured and medically 
discharged and those retired for a period of up to one year after 
retirement.
  The U.S. Department of Defense Office of Personnel and Readiness, in 
cooperation with the Council of State Governments and Advisory Group, 
have embraced the compact and look forward to working with other states 
as they develop similar programs.
  This compact celebrates our nation's defenders and I ask my 
colleagues in Congress to congratulate the fine state of Kansas and to 
encourage their states to join the Compact.

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