Sports resume at Kentucky schools for military families after government shutdown

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (FOX 56) — Extracurricular activities have resumed at schools for military families after a pause tied to the federal government shutdown halted sports and other school-related pursuits for several days.

For students at places like Fort Campbell and Fort Knox high schools, it means touchdowns, soccer goals, and volleyball digs are back, as their schools were untangled from shutdown politics.

“Allowing the sports to continue is just a small thing to some people, but to the students, coaches and parents, it’s huge,” 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 with being military dependents. They can have some sort of stability with their sports and activities.”

The schools have stayed open for normal instructional activities during the government shutdown. But the congressional stalemate left other school-related pursuits, even practices, in limbo. Fort Knox is in central Kentucky, while Fort Campbell straddles the Kentucky-Tennessee border. The shutdown disrupted extracurriculars at other military post schools, including teams at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell welcomed the reprieve for military families.

“Our servicemembers and their children shouldn’t pay the price for Washington’s failure to fund the government,” McConnell said in a statement Tuesday evening. “I’m so grateful they’ll now be able to suit up and get back in the game.”

The Republican senator successfully intervened in the matter. He wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week, asking that athletics and extracurriculars at the schools be designated as activities allowed to proceed despite the shutdown. Within days, his request was granted.

The Department of Defense Education Activity, known as DoDEA, manages prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs for the Department of Defense. DoDEA said in a statement that it received instructions from Hegseth that all student extracurriculars, including athletics and afterschool clubs, be considered “excepted activities during the current lapse in appropriations.”

At Fort Campbell High, that means the girls’ volleyball team’s banner season won’t be derailed. The team is on its way to the school’s first winning campaign in 15 years in the sport.

Without having practiced for a week, the team picked right back up by winning its first match Tuesday since resuming play, said parent Sarah Moore. The squad’s senior night game was called off last week due to the government shutdown.

“They have worked so hard to improve and be competitive this year, they couldn’t wait to get back on the court,” said Moore, whose daughter, Ava, plays on the team.

“We are thankful for the people who stood up for our kids and took action,” she added.

The disruption impacted much more than sports.

It applied to such activities as the Lejeune High School Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program, which has been recognized for its superior performance. The program’s cadets have participated in community service projects, leadership training exercises, and competitive events, the school said.