Luke Air Force Base liaison briefs Liberty board on Purple Star Schools program for military‑connected students

Stacy Holland, school liaison program manager at Luke Air Force Base, presented to the Liberty Elementary District board on the Purple Star Schools program on May 11, describing the initiative’s aims and how schools become certified.

Holland — who said she helped draft the Arizona legislation that established Purple Star Schools and served in the Air Force for 21 years — summarized the program’s five criteria: staff professional development (70% participation), a designated point of contact, peer mentorship programs for military students, at least one patriotic event per year, and a maintained resource webpage. "This program is designed to help the schools respond to not only the educational needs but also to the social and emotional challenges that these children face," Holland said.

She told the board Arizona now lists Purple Star Schools on the Department of Education website and that many installations and community partners provide resources for certified campuses. Holland said Luke has about 21,000 military‑connected students in the Phoenix metro area and underscored the challenges of frequent moves: "On an average, military connected students transition every two to three years. By the time they graduate high school, most have attended at least nine different schools." She offered base resources — tutoring services, deployment workshops and transition support — and said the base would help district schools complete the certification process.

Board members welcomed the presentation and several said they would like at least one district school to pursue Purple Star designation. The district will follow up with Luke AFB staff to explore next steps for interested campuses.

The presentation did not involve a board vote; it served as an informational briefing and offer of technical assistance.