Stronger families, stronger force: School liaisons build connections that matter

JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. – Military families regularly move between installations, states and schools, placing their children in education systems with different requirements, policies and resources. Each military installation has a dedicated school liaison whose primary role is to keep installation leaders informed about educational trends, policies and challenges. They are also responsible for helping local educators understand the unique circumstances military-connected students experience.

School liaisons assigned to Joint Base Langley-Eustis serve as subject-matter experts on pre-K through 12th-grade education for transitioning and established JBLE families.

When service members go through a permanent change of station, navigating educational concerns can compete for their time and attention as they integrate into a new unit.

“It is very important that the service member has the smoothest transition as possible to minimize their delay in meeting the mission,” said Terrilyn Williams, 633d Force Support Squadron school liaison program manager. “If we can ensure their child’s educational needs are taken care of, the service member can use the time they would’ve spent navigating educational barriers to instead focus on the mission,”

Christine Stiefel, 733d Force Support Squadron school liaison program manager, works on the Army portion of the installation to provide assistance to service members and families who work and reside on Eustis.

“Already being settled here does not mean you no longer need our services,” said Stiefel. “Families can and should maintain contact with the school liaison for assistance with incremental transitions and navigating local school programs.”

According to Stiefel, school liaisons operate "purple”. This means they support service members and families of all military branches.

While JBLE school liaisons primarily work with JBLE Soldiers and Airmen, because of the local Navy presence and state school zoning systems, they regularly coordinate with local Navy school liaisons to provide warm handoffs when a family’s service affiliation, duty location or residence crosses areas of responsibility. Williams mentioned because a PCS doesn’t always align with a break in the school year, she frequently finds herself also working with school liaisons across the Department of War when families transition between installations.

“If there are laws in the state of Florida and I have a family either coming from Florida or going to Florida, I have to be able to research what their standards are,” Williams said. “We have liaisons based at pretty much every installation, so 99% of the time, we pick up the phone and make a call.”

The support that school liaisons provide remains in demand throughout the year. According to Williams, military student identifier data reports approximately 6,200 military-connected students in the JBLE area.
Stiefel emphasizes the importance of reaching out to your gaining base’s school liaison before you PCS to minimize educational barriers, ensuring the transition goes as seamlessly as possible.

“Ensuring you are connected to the office at your next installation prior to arrival is vital,” Stiefel said. “It guarantees you receive the correct information directly from the subject matter expert, allowing you to ask specific questions tailored to your child, so they start their new academic chapter on the right foot, regardless of the time of year.”

However, she also emphasized that a PCS is not the only reason you have access to your installation’s SLO.

“Already being settled here does not mean you no longer need our services. Families can and should maintain contact with the School Liaison for assistance with incremental transitions such as moving from elementary to middle school,” said Stiefel. “We are also able to provide continuous support for local school partnerships, specialty and magnet programs, and scholarship opportunities.”

To learn more about the JBLE school liaison program or to reach a school liaison, visit the JBLE website at https://www.jble.af.mil/Resources/School-Liaison-Officer/

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