Military back-to-school night planned for evening of Aug. 1 in Bossier Parish

BOSSIER CITY, La. (KSLA) — A new school year brings new challenges for both staffers and students. Those challenges can be amplified for children of military families.

Bossier Parish Schools is working to allay some of those issues with its military back-to-school night.

“We work very closely with our military families and Barksdale and other armed forces,” said Holly George, supervisor of special program for Bossier Parish Schools. “I wanted something that would be a one-stop shop. Last year was our first year, and we outgrew it that night.”

On average, a military child moves every two to three years, which means each school year can present challenges like knowing when to register along with what resources are available. George wants to make this process easier on both new and established military families so they can be ready for the school year.

This is where Bossier’s Military Family Support Back-to-School Night comes in.

“For not only our new military students, but all military students can come and meet the administration at the schools. Every school will have a table. I will also have a lot of the community there ... Bossier Chamber of Commerce, Bossier City libraries, 4-H, Boy Scouts, we have a lot coming,” George said.

On Tuesday, Aug. 1 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Bossier Civic Center in Bossier City, military families can come out and ask their questions about things like food services, transportation, special education, resources and MFLC.

“That’s a military family life counselor trained by the military. Sixteen of our schools have access to an MFLC,” said George.

There are also job opportunities for those parents who might be interested.

“We’re going to have recruitment there also with HR. Across the country, everyone needs quality teachers,” George said.

“There are several military spouses that serve when they’re not necessarily from this area in our school system. We see them as future employees and we want to offer them the opportunity to be part of our family,” said Tracey Burrell, recruitment and retention supervisor for Bossier Parish Schools.

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