Student Eligibility and Other Problems in Federally Funded and Operated Schools in Puerto Rico

Action may be required to resolve student eligibility and other problems in federally funded and operated schools in Puerto Rico. Only those children whose parents had been temporarily transferred from the U.S. to Puerto Rico were eligible to attend the Antilles Consolidated School System (ACSS). ACSS is operated by the Navy, with maintenance and operating funds provided by the Office of Education (OE). However, OE permitted the children of locally hired parents to attend ACSS if the parents were subject to transfer to an area where English was the principal language of instruction in the schools. In addition, OE has not required evidence that the parents are subject to transfer or that children of parents in similar employment situations are treated consistently. The Navy must provide education in Puerto Rico comparable to that provided in the District of Columbia public schools. However, the information which the Navy submitted for comparison did not provide a basis for making a determination.