New Base School Liaison Officer Advocate For Military Students, Parents

You should get to know her. Cromartie is the new School Liaison Officer (SLO) for Naval Station Mayport and it's her job to be an advocate for the military parent and students.

A 42-year veteran of the Duval County Public School system, Cromartie came to Naval Station mayport on June 1 to provide a link between the base and the school systems of the surrounding counties, including Duval, St. Johns, Clay and Nassau.

Her background includes 27 years as an English teacher, six years as a school counselor at Mandarin High School and nine years as District Supervisor for Guidance with the Duval County School Board.

"I started with the Navy on June 1, because I knew that there would be a lot of parents that needed information for the upcoming school year," she said.

As a SLO, Cromartie is supposed to be a link between the base, military families and local schools - including public, private, home schools and online schools.

The role of a SLO is to act as primary advisor to the command on matters relating to schools, serve as an expert on education issues for youth and parents as well as help develop solutions with schools to overcome hinderances, according to the SLO pamphlet. Those hinderances could includ special education, state requirements, graduation requirements, course sequencing, school schedules,deployment support, extracurricular activities, record transfer and school quality.

"I just try to hook people up and help with whatever they are having a problem with," she said. "It could be transportation or free back packs."

The role of a School Liaison Officer is also a role Cromartie said she is thrilled to fill.

"When I was working for the school board, I was always known as an advocate for the parent and children," she said. "Now I have a new client and it's the military child and making sure they receive equitable access and services [to education]. I think I've died and gone to heaven. This is what I enjoy doing."

A lot of the questions that Cromartie has answered so far include what a parent needs to do to enroll their child for the upcoming school year. She said a great tool for any military parent to access is Duval County School Board website, www.duvalschools.org. Military OneSource is another great website, she said. That web address is www.militaryonesource.com.

"A lot of initial questions can be answered there," Cromartie said. But she is always just a phone call away - even for a parent who might still be transferring from San Diego, Calif.

"I can lead them in the right direction, she said. "If they are concerned with the school system or their child won't get certain services, I can help them."

To speak with Cromartie, or to find out more about the SLO program, call her 270-6289 ext. 1305; email judith.cromartie@navy.mil.

Cromartie will hold an upcoming child and youth programs parent workshop at the Youth Activities Center at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 29. The workshop will be "The College Admission Process." Parents can learn what schools offer and what they are really like. Get answers to questions such as, "What majors/programs are offered?" "What is the admission criteria, like SAT,ACT and high school GPA?" "How much does it really cost?"