A proposed pilot program that would have allowed U.S. military families in Bahrain to use government funds for private schools was removed from the final version of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act. Instead, Congress is directing the U.S. comptroller to submit a report about the administration of the Department of Defense Education Activity school. (Shannon Renfroe/Stars and Stripes)
A proposed pilot program that would have provided public funding for private school education to U.S. military families in Bahrain is gone in the final version of this year’s defense bill.
The GOP-backed trial was removed during discussions between House and Senate committee members to finalize the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act.
Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., had sponsored the proposal as part of the House’s version of the bill, which was passed in June.
“Because of the deep concern of parents at the Bahrain school, which has been struggling with poor teaching, flooding and even recently celebrated a notorious antisemite, we have developed a pilot program,” Banks said during a House Armed Services Committee meeting in May.
The flooding that Banks alluded to occurred in mid-April and resulted from torrential rainfall. Because of extensive damage, the school’s 24-acre campus in Juffair was closed for almost three weeks, forcing students to shift to remote learning.
In April, a school social media post promoted Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour as someone who has campaigned for civil rights and social justice issues.
Sarsour also backs a movement to boycott and divest from Israel and has faced accusations of antisemitism, something she has denied. The school post was later removed.
There are 574 students enrolled at Bahrain Elementary, Middle and High School, located at Naval Support Activity Bahrain. The small but densely populated island country is home to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and 5th Fleet headquarters.
In a statement Monday, the Department of Defense Education Activity said it does not comment on pending legislation.
DODEA officials said in the spring that standardized test scores at the Bahrain school are above national averages and pointed to a high-performing student body.
The National Education Association, on behalf of the Federal Education Association, blasted the school choice proposal, saying in a statement earlier this year that the “voucher-like program” would “rob schools of resources and students of First Amendment, due process and other constitutional and statutory rights.”
The statement also expressed union members’ concern that without accountability, diverting funds to non-U.S. schools or institutions could give rise to fraud and abuse.
The FEA, an affiliate of the national education union, represents educators serving 66,000 students at Defense Department schools in the United States and overseas.
In a joint statement over the weekend, lawmakers said the agreement between the House and Senate versions of the NDAA includes an amendment to strike the DODEA Bahrain school choice pilot program.
The U.S. comptroller general instead was directed to submit a report by Dec. 31, 2025 “on the administration of DODEA schools in Bahrain,” according to the statement from leaders of the armed services committees in the two chambers of Congress.
The report must include the number of classes with long-term substitutes in the past three school years, by grade and subject matter; the number of Advanced Placement courses offered in person in the past three years; and a comparison of DODEA Bahrain’s AP course offerings with those of other overseas DODEA schools.
Congressional leaders also want to hear about issues between the school administration and parents, as well as an assessment of the school’s special education capabilities and requirements.
“We have heard complaints that the DODEA schools in Bahrain have had several reported problems with parent-teacher communication, long-term substitute teachers and dwindling academic offerings,” the statement said.
The pilot program would have allowed up to 30 students to attend international schools in Bahrain using the same program accessed by State Department diplomats overseas.
Service members and Defense Department civilians would have been eligible to take part in the initiative.
The final negotiated language of the NDAA was released Saturday. Congress is expected to vote on the bill in the next few days.
Other House provisions removed from it include an amendment that would have provided teacher bonuses for difficult-to-fill overseas locations and another one that would have prohibited any offices or organizations promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in DODEA schools.
A separate provision calling for parents to be notified when a student does not score as grade-level proficient in reading or language arts at the end of third grade is included in the final NDAA.
