Extracurricular activities at schools for military families have resumed after a pause related to the federal government shutdown halted sports and other school-related activities for several days.
For students at high schools like Fort Campbell and Fort Knox, that means touchdowns, soccer goals and volleyball games are back as their schools have been decoupled from shutdown policies.
“For some people it’s just a small thing to continue playing sports, but for the students, coaches and parents it’s a big deal,” Antonia Kruse, whose son Levi plays wide receiver and cornerback on the Fort Campbell High football team, said Tuesday. “They already have so many unknowns in their lives because of their dependence on the military. They are able to achieve some stability in their sports and activities.”
Schools remained open for normal instruction during the government shutdown. But the stalemate in Congress left other school-related activities, even practices, in limbo. Fort Knox is in central Kentucky, while Fort Campbell is on the Kentucky-Tennessee border. The closure disrupted extracurricular instruction at other military postal schools, including teams at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell welcomed the reprieve for military personnel.
“Our military members and their children should not pay the price for Washington’s failure to fund the government,” McConnell said in a statement Tuesday evening. “I’m so grateful that they can now get fit and get back into the game.”
The Republican senator successfully intervened in the matter. Last week he wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth requesting that athletics and extracurricular activities in schools be designated as activities that can continue despite the closure. Within days, his request was approved.
The Department of Defense Education Activity, known as DoDEA, manages educational programs for the Department of Defense from preschool through 12th grade. DoDEA said in a statement that it received direction from Hegseth that all student extracurricular activities, including athletics and extracurricular clubs, would be considered “exempt activities during the current funding shortfall.”
At Fort Campbell High, that means the girls volleyball team’s banner season isn’t missed. The team is on its way to the school’s first win in the sport in 15 years.
Without practicing for a week, the team immediately got back into the swing of things and won its first game since play resumed on Tuesday, said mother Sarah Moore. The team’s senior evening game was canceled last week due to the government shutdown.
“They worked so hard this year to improve and be competitive that they couldn’t wait to get back on the court,” said Moore, whose daughter Ava plays on the team.
“We are grateful for the people who stood up and acted for our children,” she added.
The disruption had far more impact than just sports.
It applied to activities such as the Lejeune High School Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program, which was recognized for its outstanding achievements. Cadets in the program have participated in community service projects, leadership training exercises and competitive events, the school said.
