The Nevada Department of Education announced Wednesday that two districts are receiving the Nevada Purple Star School award after all 13 schools in Churchill and Mineral counties were designated as Purple Star Schools.
Felicia Gonzalez is the commissioner for Nevada’s Council for Military Students and said the designation helps military families identify schools that provide resources and assistance unique to the struggles of military life.
“This is really a program that is meant to highlight schools that really put forth that effort to provide a military-friendly environment," she said.
Close to 11,000 military-connected children live in the state for whom Purple Star Schools seek to provide extra socioemotional support.
“It’s really important for counselors and teachers to be aware of who are these students because these students could transition in or out at any given time, and their parents can be deployed at any given time,” Gonzalez added.
The new designations in rural Nevada bring the number of Purple Star Schools in the state up to 21, after seven schools from Clark County were the first cohort to earn the award last year.