A fourth-grade class in February 2024 at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. (Michael O’Day/Department of Defense Education Activity Americas )
WASHINGTON — The children of fallen service members would be able to enroll in a Defense Department school even after the death of the serving parent under recently introduced legislation.
The bipartisan bill seeks to scrap a policy that makes Gold Star children ineligible to attend a Defense Department school if they were not already enrolled at one when their parent died.
“After losing a parent who served, Gold Star children should not be further disrupted by losing their access to DOD schools,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.
The bill was introduced by Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and co-sponsored by Cramer and Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D. It has also been filed as an amendment to the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, annual legislation that outlines Pentagon policy.
The measure would make dependents of active-duty troops who die while serving eligible for enrollment in Department of Defense Education Activity schools on a tuition-free, space-available basis.
Senators said the legislation would preserve the educational options for Gold Star families, allow children to learn in a more familiar military environment as they grieve the loss of a parent and offer support services from experience military professionals.
Military families have generally cited the availability of Defense Department schools as a positive quality-of-life issue, according to the Congressional Research Service.
There are 160 Defense Department schools worldwide, including 50 domestic schools across 17 installations and one virtual school, according to the research institute. The student population hovers at about 70,000.
The Defense Department has expanded access to its schools over the years. In 2009, it allowed the children of fallen service members to continue to attend its elementary and secondary schools in the U.S. without limitation, even through grade and residency changes.
Advocacy groups said extending school access to all Gold Star children would provide much-needed stability and support.
“No child should be separated from the supportive environment of their friends and educational community,” said Lisa Jenkins, president of the Georgia chapters of the nonprofit American Gold Star Mothers. “It’s imperative that we do not place limitations on the term ‘Gold Star’ when it comes to education enrollment.”
Senators said the Defense Department needed to make more accommodations for military families, especially since children of service members often sacrifice a normal childhood while their parent serves.
“Military children, in particular, often grow up with a parent away from home for months at a time — even years over the course of a career in the service. If, God forbid, their mom or dad makes the ultimate sacrifice, these Gold Star children should still be able to enroll in Department of Defense schools,” Rounds said.
