5 YISD campuses awarded Purple Star Designation
Sep 21, 2024
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Five Ysleta Independent School District (YISD) schools were awarded the Purple Star Campus Designation for their commitment to supporting military families.
According to YISD in a news release, the following campuses were recognized, among 541 Texas schools:
Alicia R. Chacon International School
Eastwood Knolls International School
Edgemere International School
R.E.L. Washington International School
Young Women’s Leadership Academy
YISD now has a total of 12 schools with the designation, with the following seven schools who were awarded last year, according to the district:
Desertaire Elementary School
Dolphin Terrace Elementary School
North Star Elementary School
Parkland Pre-K Center
Parkland Elementary School
Parkland Pre-Engineering Middle School
Parkland High School
YISD said it has created a HERO Military Program to ease the process of enrolling military-connected students.
"Our military families sacrifice so much, and it’s essential that our schools support theirchildren in every way possible to ensure they have the best educational experience while in Texaspublic schools," said Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath.
Purple Star schools organize special programs and events throughout the academic year to celebrate and serve the military community, according to YISD.
All Texas schools are eligible to receive the designation, regardless of the military-connected student body size, and applications are accepted yearly, according to YISD.
According to YISD, to be awarded the Purple Star, schools must "create and maintain an easily accessible webpage that includes information for military-connected students and their families; a campus transition program for military-connected students; and a military family assistance initiative."