Module 1 Topic 4
Your Role as the Purple Star School Point of Contact
From knowledge to leadership.
In the first three topics of Module 1, you explored military culture, Arizona's military community, and the Military Interstate Children's Compact. These topics provide the foundation for understanding the experiences, systems, and policies that surround military-connected students and families.
Now the focus shifts to you, the Purple Star School Point of Contact or School-based Liaison. (Both are enter changeable)
The Point of Contact serves as a connector within the school community, helping bring together students, families, educators, administrators, military partners, and community resources so that military-connected students and families can more easily navigate school systems and transitions.
The Point of Contact Is More Than a Name on a Website
Every Arizona Purple Star School identifies a Point of Contact, but successful implementation requires more than simply assigning someone the title.
The POC helps create the infrastructure that allows a school's Purple Star practices to become consistent, visible, and sustainable.
A strong Point of Contact understands the school's existing systems, knows the people responsible for key areas of support, develops relationships with military and community partners, communicates available resources, and helps ensure that military-connected students remain part of school planning and decision-making.
You Do Not Need to Have Every Answer
A successful Purple Star School Point of Contact is not expected to personally solve every challenge that a military-connected student or family may encounter.
Your effectiveness comes from knowing:
- where to find reliable information;
- who within your school or district has specialized expertise;
- which military or community partner can assist;
- when a concern should be elevated or referred; and
- how to connect the right people at the right time.
Think of yourself as the connector, not the entire support system.
Five Functions of an Effective Purple Star POC
Although every school community is different, effective Purple Star Points of Contact generally perform five important functions.
1. Identify
Understand how your school identifies military-connected students and families and how that information is communicated appropriately within the school.
Identification allows schools to recognize patterns, understand their military-connected population, provide relevant information, and ensure families know where to turn when questions arise.
2. Connect
Connect students, families, and staff members with the appropriate person, program, agency, or resource.
The POC often serves as the starting point for a question even when someone else ultimately provides the solution.
3. Communicate
Help ensure military-connected families can easily find information about your school, available resources, military-related supports, and whom to contact when assistance is needed.
The POC also helps staff understand the school's Purple Star commitment and where they can find additional guidance.
4. Coordinate
Bring together individuals who may otherwise work independently.
Depending on the situation, this may include administrators, registrars, counselors, teachers, special education staff, student leaders, district personnel, School Liaisons, military family programs, or community organizations.
5. Champion
Keep military-connected students and families visible within school planning, communication, professional learning, and community engagement.
Being a champion does not mean providing preferential treatment. It means helping ensure that mobility and military life do not unintentionally create barriers to access, communication, or participation.
The POC at the Center of a Network
A Purple Star School is strongest when responsibility for supporting military-connected students does not rest with one individual.
The Point of Contact helps connect people and systems across the school community.
| Partner | How They May Support the Purple Star Network |
|---|---|
| School Administrator | Provides leadership support, helps establish sustainable schoolwide practices, and ensures Purple Star efforts are integrated into school operations. |
| Registrar / Enrollment Staff | Often serves as one of the first points of contact for incoming families and helps identify enrollment or records-related questions. |
| School Counselor | Provides academic, social, emotional, and transition-related support when appropriate and helps connect students with additional school resources. |
| Teachers | Help create welcoming classrooms and may identify concerns, strengths, or changes that should be communicated to appropriate staff. |
| Special Education Staff | Provide specialized guidance when a student receiving special education services transfers into or out of the school. |
| School Liaison | Connects military families, installations, schools, districts, and educational resources and may assist with military-related education questions. |
| Student Leaders | Can help build welcoming school culture, awareness, connection, and student-led Purple Star activities. |
| Families and Community Partners | Provide perspective, resources, relationships, and community connections that can strengthen the school's support network. |
Breaking Down the Silo
One of the most important responsibilities of a Point of Contact is helping people who already serve students work together more intentionally.
A registrar may understand enrollment. A counselor may understand student needs. A teacher may notice a change in classroom engagement. A School Liaison may understand military resources. An administrator may be able to remove a procedural barrier.
The POC helps connect these pieces.
Purple Star is strongest when information, responsibility, and relationships are shared rather than siloed.
Know Your Role—and Know Your Boundaries
Serving as a Point of Contact does not mean becoming an expert in every area that may affect a military-connected family.
The POC should know when to provide information and when to connect the family or staff member with someone who has the appropriate expertise.
| When This Happens... | Your POC Response May Be... |
|---|---|
| A family has a question about enrollment or school records. | Connect the family with the registrar or appropriate district enrollment personnel while remaining available to help coordinate communication. |
| A staff member has a question involving MIC3. | Help locate the appropriate MIC3 guidance or connect the staff member with the appropriate school, district, state, or School Liaison resource. |
| A family asks about specialized military family services. | Connect the family with the appropriate military program or partner rather than attempting to provide specialized guidance outside your role. |
| A student appears to need counseling or individualized support. | Follow your school's established procedures and connect the concern with qualified school personnel. |
| A teacher wants resources about military-connected students. | Provide approved resources, share professional learning opportunities, and help the teacher locate additional support. |
A Helpful Question to Ask
When you are unsure what to do next, ask yourself:
"Who is the right person to help with this?"
Effective POCs recognize when to connect rather than trying to solve everything themselves.
Could You Answer These Questions Today?
Before moving forward, take a moment to assess how well you currently know your school's Purple Star support network.
POC Readiness Self-Check
Can you answer each of the following?
- Who is the administrator supporting our Purple Star efforts?
- How does our school identify military-connected students?
- Who enrolls new students and assists incoming families?
- Who should staff contact with a MIC3-related question?
- Who is our school counselor or primary student-support contact?
- Who manages special education questions?
- Which military installation or military communities are most closely connected to our school?
- Do I know the School Liaison serving our community?
- Who maintains our school's Purple Star webpage or online resources?
- Who leads or supports student transition, welcoming, or leadership activities?
- Does our school have a process for sharing Purple Star information with new staff?
- If I left my position tomorrow, would someone else know how our Purple Star systems work?
If you could not answer every question, that is not a failure. It identifies where your school's network can become stronger.
The remaining topics in Module 1 will help you begin building those connections.
Build a Purple Star Team
Although one person serves as the official Point of Contact, Purple Star work should never depend entirely on one person.
Consider building a small team or informal network of people who can help sustain the work.
Potential Purple Star Team Members
- school administrator;
- Purple Star Point of Contact;
- registrar or enrollment representative;
- school counselor;
- teacher representative;
- special education representative;
- student leadership or peer-support representative;
- communications or website representative;
- School Liaison or military partner, when appropriate; and
- parent or community representative, when appropriate.
Your team does not need to be large or formal. The goal is to ensure that knowledge and responsibility are shared.
Create Systems, Not Just Events
Purple Star Schools may host celebrations, recognition events, student activities, or military appreciation programs. Those activities can be valuable, but the long-term strength of a Purple Star School comes from the systems operating behind them.
Ask yourself whether your school has repeatable processes for:
- identifying military-connected students;
- welcoming and communicating with incoming families;
- sharing important information with appropriate staff;
- connecting families with school and military resources;
- maintaining current Purple Star information online;
- orienting new staff to the school's Purple Star commitment;
- maintaining relationships with military and community partners; and
- continuing the work when personnel change.
Successful Purple Star programs are built around sustainable practices—not individual personalities.
The Five-Minute Purple Star Test
Imagine a teacher joins your school tomorrow.
Within five minutes, could that teacher determine:
- who the Purple Star Point of Contact is;
- where to find your school's military-connected student resources;
- where to find basic MIC3 information;
- whom to contact when a military-connected student or family needs assistance; and
- how your school demonstrates its commitment to military-connected students?
If the answer is yes, your systems are becoming visible and accessible.
If the answer is no, you have identified an opportunity for improvement.
POC Activity: Map Your Support Network
Create Your Contact List
As you continue through Module 1, begin building a working contact list for your school.
School and District Contacts
- Administrator:
- Registrar / Enrollment:
- School Counselor:
- Special Education Contact:
- Student Leadership / Transition Contact:
- Communications / Website Contact:
- District-Level Contact:
Military and Community Contacts
- Primary Installation or Military Community:
- School Liaison:
- Military Family Support Resource:
- Community Partner:
- Arizona Purple Star School / ADE Resource:
Keep this list accessible. A strong contact network is one of the most useful tools a Point of Contact can build.
Key Takeaways
- The Purple Star Point of Contact serves as a connector, coordinator, communicator, and champion.
- The POC does not need to personally have every answer.
- Successful POCs know who has the right expertise and how to connect people with appropriate resources.
- Purple Star should not operate in a silo or depend on one individual.
- Building relationships inside and outside the school is essential to long-term program success.
- Sustainable systems are more important than isolated activities or events.
Coming Next: Building Your Military-School Support Network
You understand your role as the Point of Contact. Now it is time to begin expanding the network around you.
In Module 1, Topic 5, you will explore several of the military partners and programs that can help you support your school community—including your School Liaison, military family support resources, and the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP).
The goal is not to become an expert in every military program. The goal is to know who is available, what they do, and when to make the connection.