JB Charleston offers back to school safety; resources

As Joint Base Charleston parents and students prepare for the fall semester to begin, officials are reminding them of some important safety issues as well as resources they can use.

Safety

Air Force Base: Charleston County Schools are back in session Thursday, August 20. Drivers, there are children present. Please slow down on Hill Blvd. and please pay particular attention to crossing areas, especially at the intersection of Hill and Touhey. Warning lights will also be flashing mornings and afternoons as a reminder. Charleston County Sherriff’s Office provides a crossing guard at this location, and she is easily identified in her bright colored jacket. Please respect her as she helps our resident children across that very busy intersection.

There will be an increased number of children riding bikes and walking to/waiting for busses throughout the housing and Child and Youth Programs areas of JB CHS. Be alert and exercise caution as you drive around the base in the mornings and afternoons, especially as the days shorten and mornings become darker.

Weapons Station: Expect traffic to be very heavy in the mornings and afternoons along Red Bank Road as Berkeley County Schools go back in session Thursday, August 20. There are very few school busses, but heavy parental traffic to and from the middle/elementary schools on base.

Educational Resources

Online tutor – Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families is a DoD-funded program that allows eligible students in U.S. military families to connect with a live tutor online at any time for one-to-one help with homework, studying, test prep, proofreading and more. The service is available at no charge to Active Duty service members, their eligible dependents, and deployed DoD civilians. The site provides vetted resources for project work and research papers, and DoD vetted tutors to review student work. If you get frustrated trying to help your child with Math, Physics, or an APA research paper, go to http://military.tutor.com/home and let the professionals help. There is even an app for smart phones!

Child and Youth Programs (CYP): After School Programming has unlimited possibilities and activities, including homework assistance. Call for more information. Air Base – 843-963-5684. Weapons Station – 843-794-7809.

Military Family Life Counselors (MFLC): We have MLFCs serving at the Marrington Schools, Cane Bay ES, Lambs ES, Hunley Park ES, Palmetto Scholars Academy, Fort Dorchester ES and Oakbrook Schools. They provide short-term, non-medical counseling in support of active duty military children, activated Guard and Reservists, and expeditionary civilians in those schools. Other students have access to MFLCs through the Child & Youth Programs on the base.

Local Schools: Many teachers/schools have regular hours where they provide tutorial assistance before or after school. Check with the school principal and/or teacher on availability.

Parent Portal: Make sure you are registered for Parent Portal. You should have your own login and password and the school can assist with registering. Parent Portal provides you real time access to your child’s grades, attendance, assignments, discipline and more. Check often and perhaps review grading progress with your child. This is a tool for parents, so make sure the teacher is updating regularly. If you see delays in postings, let the school administrator know. There is usually a policy on how often a teacher must update/load grades.

School Liason Officer (SLO): The SLO is available to help connect you with resources during the school year. Don’t hesitate to call or email if you need assistance or clarification on a school issue. Follow the SLO on Facebook and/or Twitter. Information on local schools, news articles related to education, and resource information are regularly posted on the page: “JB Charleston School Liaison Office.” SLO can be reached at 843-963-4406.

Special Needs Students: Joint Base Charleston is fortunate to have a full time Exceptional Family Member Coordinator (EFMP). If you need assistance with EFMP enrollment issues and coordination with services in the local area, please contact the EFMP at 843-963-4406. For assistance with school issues, 504s, IEPs, or evaluations for/in school, please contact the SLO or EFMP Coordinator at 843-963-4406.

JB CHS RESIDENTS – Schedules for regularly assigned schools

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