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Cabot School District plans April events to support 1,241 military‑connected students
Summary
District leaders outlined Month of the Military Child activities, said Cabot is the state’s largest military‑connected district and noted partnerships with the Air Force liaison and military family life counselors.
Cabot School District trustees heard an update on planned activities for the Month of the Military Child in April and on ongoing services for military‑connected students, who the district said number 1,241 — about 12% of total enrollment.
Director of student services Liz Taylor (presenter) described events scheduled across campuses, including a district‑wide Purple Up day on April 11, campus parades, school breakfasts and purple treats for students. Taylor said the Arkansas National Guard donated signage that will appear at campuses and that proceeds from purple T‑shirt sales will again fund a scholarship for a military‑connected student.
Taylor told the board Cabot earned the Purple Star designation in 2020 and said the district has the largest number of military‑connected students in Arkansas. The district identified 1,241 military‑connected students, representing about 12% of enrollment.
Taylor described staffing and partnerships that support military families: district DMECs (District Military Education Coordinators) are Deputy Superintendent Byrd and Taylor; school counselors act as local military liaisons and handle scheduling and credit transfers; and the district partners with the Little Rock Air Force Base school liaison office, which provides military family life counselors and connects incoming families to district staff.
Taylor said the district is working with Air Force base liaison Terry Williams and named on‑site counselors (Kim Davis and others) placed at specific schools to help families facing deployments, frequent moves and reunifications. The district also named a student, Sonia Smith, who served on the Arkansas Council for Military Children student advisory committee and started a military‑connected club at Cabot High School.
Officials described an outreach process: district staff said they typically contact incoming military families about four months prior to arrival, sharing enrollment materials and school information to facilitate transfers and course scheduling. The board praised district outreach and community‑wide recognition efforts, including using Friday night football introductions to highlight military families.
