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Fredericksburg City Public Schools

Educate & Inspire Every Child, Every Day

Military Family Resources

Military Family Resources

Fredericksburg City Public Schools is proud to welcome and support military-connected students and families. Frequent moves, deployments, changing academic requirements, and new communities can create challenges for students at every grade level. Our schools work with families, school counselors, and military partners to make each arrival and departure as smooth as possible.

All Fredericksburg City Public Schools are recognized by the Virginia Department of Education as Purple Star Schools for their commitment to military-connected students and families. Use the resources below to plan a move, register a student, transfer records, understand academic and special education services, and connect with military and community support.

Need help? Contact your school-based military family liaison or the FCPS division contact listed below.

Sandy Gillenwater

Division Community Liaison
Walker-Grant Center

Email Sandy Gillenwater

(540) 372-1130

Virginia Purple Star

Planning Your Arrival to Fredericksburg

Welcome to Fredericksburg City Public Schools!

We know that moving can be challenging, especially for military families who must do so frequently and sometimes with little notice. It can be difficult to secure a new place to live. Fortunately, the Commonwealth of Virginia allows military members to enroll their child in the school division of the family’s intended residence, so long as documentation is provided at the time of enrollment of military orders. The family will then have 120 days from the initial date of enrollment to provide the proper residency documentation. New families may register their students for school either remotely or in-person.

Please contact the FCPS Registrar for more information so we can help you determine which documentation is needed for your situation:

A. Camm Taylor

FCPS Registrar

Walker-Grant Center
210 Ferdinand Street
Fredericksburg, VA 22401

(540) 940-8380

Hours: 8:30 AM – 11:00 AM & 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Mon-Fri)

After registration, the receiving school will review the student’s records and connect the family with a counselor, school-based military liaison, and peer welcome support. Families should share any unofficial records, current schedule, IEP or 504 plan, testing history, and information about activities or advanced programs as early as possible.

New Student Registration Information

Planning Your Departure from Fredericksburg

We understand that transition is part of regular life for military families, and we’re here to do everything we can to make your departure from Fredericksburg City Public Schools seamless and stress-free.

Please notify your student’s school as soon as you know you will be moving. The school can explain withdrawal steps, help the student prepare for the transition, and provide a complete set of education records for the family to hand-carry when official records cannot be released directly. Under the Interstate Compact, the receiving school enrolls and initially places an eligible military student using the unofficial records while it requests official records; the sending school then provides official records within 10 days or the period allowed by Compact rules.

Recommended Resources for Military Families:

Academic Planning

Contact the student’s counselor early so FCPS can review transcripts, current courses, assessments, and graduation progress. When comparable courses or programs are available, the Interstate Compact calls for the receiving school to initially honor the student’s prior course and program placement, including honors, Advanced Placement, career and technical pathways, gifted programs, and English learner services. FCPS may later evaluate placement to make sure it continues to meet the student’s needs.

Popular links:

Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children

Virginia participates in the Interstate Compact to reduce educational barriers caused by military moves and deployments. For eligible K–12 students in active-duty households, the Compact addresses: unofficial and official records; enrollment and immunizations; grade, course, program, and special education placement; deployment-related absences; eligibility for extracurricular activities; and flexibility intended to support on-time graduation. It does not guarantee a particular course or activity when the student is otherwise unqualified, but it requires schools to work toward continuity and timely placement.

Special Education Resources

FCPS works with families to provide services for students with disabilities. When an eligible military student arrives with a current IEP, the Interstate Compact and IDEA call for the receiving school to initially provide comparable services while FCPS completes the steps required under Virginia and federal law. Students with a current Section 504 plan should receive reasonable accommodations and modifications that provide equal access while the division reviews the student’s needs.

VDOE Resources:

FCPS Special Education Resources

Legislation

Senate Bill 775
"The Child shall be allowed to enroll in the school division of the child's intended residence if documentation is provided, at the time of enrollment, of military orders of the service member parent or an official letter from the service member's command indicating such relocation.  Documentation indicating a permanent address within the school division shall be provided to the school division within 120 days of a child's enrollment in school.  The assignment of the school such child will attend shall be determined by the local school division."

House Bill 1085
"Any local school board of a school division in which a military installation or other military housing is located shall establish and implement policies to provide for the enrollment to any school of any student residing on a military installation or in military housing within the school division upon the request of his parent if space in the school is available.  In developing such policies, a local school board may include any of conditions listed in subsection A of § 22.1-7.1 or any other condition deemed appropriate by the local school board."

House Bill 1623
"Military families; relocation to the Commonwealth; student registration.  Permits any student whose service member parent is relocated to the Commonwealth pursuant to orders received to register for courses and other academic programs and participate in the lottery process for charter schools and college partnership laboratory schools in the school division in which such student will reside at the same time and in the same manner as students who reside in the local school division.  This bill is identical to SB 1249."

School Contacts

Building-level contacts will be available prior to the start of the 2026-27 school year.

Other Resources