According to the Kentucky National Guard’s Chief of Staff Colonel Steven Bullard, there’s an unintended consequence of Kentucky’s decision to raise its school dropout age to 18.
Bullard says the new law effectively eliminates the Guard’s Youth Challenge Program, which is designed for young people between the ages of 16 and 18.
“It takes the 16 and 17 year old kids that are our primary target audience out of our ability to host these kids and it limits us to kids who are 18 years old and older, and that’s not our target audience. We want to get these kids as early as we can and when the governor found out, he asked the Department of Education and the Department of Military Affairs to get together and find a resolution.”
Col. Bullard says the Guard is working with Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holiday to redesign the Youth Challenge Programs at Fort Knox and Harlan’s Appalachian Challenge Academy as alternative schools.
In the past, the Guard’s 22-week program has blended academics with physical fitness, leadership training and community service projects.
