Information for Families Published Dec. 7, 2023 ACSC Preparation for Families Current as of: 23 Oct 2023 Congratulations on your loved one's selection for in-residence Air Command and Staff College! The ACSC Student Squadron staff will reach out to inbound students January - February 2024 via email to make initial contact and relay important school and local area information. Please review the information in the drop-down menu below. Please also check the FAQs page and feel free to send any unanswered questions to the Student Squadron (STUS) team via email to the ACSC STUS Org Box E-Mail: ACSC.STUS.OrgBox@us.af.mil Topic 1: CHILDCARE, EDUCATION, Medical Care, EFMP and Housing Visit the Maxwell AFB website for comprehensive information and links to resources for military-operated or military-approved child care programs, medical care, EFMP, and Housing. Topic 2: ACSC STUDENT EXPECTATIONS AND LEAVE Your spouses are about to enter a rigorous academic program filled with personal and professional development opportunities. This is a major career milestone and they would not be here without your dedication and support. The mission of ACSC is to educate and develop air-minded joint leaders; therefore, your spouses who are attending ACSC will be asked to work hard and will be challenged over the next 10 months. A year assigned to ACSC is a year filled with many transitions that will directly affect you. Your spouse may be transitioning from operations or administration to academia. Regardless of where you are coming from, ACSC will provide a new daily tempo. Here at ACSC, you can expect a typical work week requires at least 50-60 hours spread between the classroom and at-home reading/study. This may mean a change in your spouse's normal work week. Additionally, because students need continuity in class to comprehend the material, leave opportunities during the academic year are typically limited to scheduled holiday breaks as well as AETC family days. More information regarding ACSC's leave and travel policies can be found below: AY24 ACSC Student Handbook, Sections 3.3.1., 3.4., and 3.5. 3.3.1. Duty Schedule 3.3.1.1. Students are required to attend all events on the official student schedule (i.e., ATO Calendar) unless identified as optional. Students are expected to accomplish appointments and personal business outside of daily scheduled events. Exceptions for extenuating circumstances will be addressed on a case-by-case basis with STUS leadership. STUS leadership are the approval authority if academics must be missed. Verbal approval from a course instructor alone DOES NOT authorize a student absence. ACSC activities are scheduled between 0730 and 1630. Academic seminars and lecture times are usually only scheduled for a portion of the day; however, the preparation for courses and other requirements will demand you use your duty day efficiently to complete academic and other professional obligations. The primary duty location for students is the ACSC academic building 1402. Any request to participate in academic events from an alternate duty location must be approved by the STUS leadership. 3.3.1.2. Certain days on the academic calendar are designated as "Gray Days." Gray days allow students and faculty adequate and timely opportunities to research, read, write, and reflect. Academic, administrative and professional development events are infrequently scheduled during gray days, and gray days are duty days. Leave requests will not be approved on gray days, even if they coincide with a weekend or holiday. Students are expected to be in the local area. Throughout the year, some gray days will be utilized as STUS Administrative Days (i.e., mass training and out-processing). 3.4. Leave, Liberty, and Permissive TDY 3.4.1. Guidance on leave, liberty, and permissive TDY (PTDY) is in AFI 36-3003, Military Leave Program. Students should only expect to be granted leave and liberty on weekends, designated holidays, and academic breaks. 3.4.2. Leave should not be expected during your in-resident experience outside of weekends, federal holidays, AETC family days, and academic breaks. All dates are designated on the AY25 Academic Calendar. IOs may take leave on approved international holidays that align with their home nation (see IO/DO for listing). 3.4.2.1. All leave/liberty/PTDY requests are subject to STUS/CC and DO approval. All DAF students will use LeaveWeb and will update their profile in LeaveWeb to show the MAJCOM as AETC and unit as either 21 Student Squadron or 38 Student Squadron. Air Force Guard and Reserve personnel in TDY status will route hard copy leave paperwork through their DO for signature. DAF students will send all LeaveWeb requests to their STUD DIV DO as the Supervisor and the STUS/CC as the Backup Approver. Students are not authorized to approve leave for each other. Sister Service members will coordinate all requests in MS Teams for STUS approval and with their branch liaison. International officers will coordinate all requests in MS teams for STUS approval and with the IO/DO. 3.4.2.2. Local-area Liberty is approved on weekends and federal holidays. The local area is defined within a 3-hour travel radius around Montgomery, AL, traversed via personally owned vehicle (POV) (see Attachment 4). Liberty will be routed for the DO for approval and can be taken during weekends and federal holidays. 3.4.2.3. All commercial travel, regardless of distance, requires a SQ/DO and SQ/CC approved request. 3.4.2.4. Outside the contiguous United States (OCONUS) leave requests require additional paperwork that will be completed prior to submission for approval. OCONUS requests should be routed no less than one month prior to projected leave date to the ACSC Security Manager. Sister Service, ANG, USAFR, Civilians, and IOs operate under the same rules regarding when they can take leave. However, those leave requests will be approved by their respective service component representative, home unit, or International Officer School, as applicable. 3.4.2.5. All students will add their leave and liberty request to the M365 Teams Absence tracker STUS/DOs will review and approve/deny requests. Instructor concurrence is required for all requests that conflict with an academic event for all students. Sister Service members will coordinate all requests in MS Teams and with their branch liaison. International officers will coordinate all requests in MS teams and with the IO/DO. 3.4.2.6. Transportation delays during return from leave/liberty must be communicated to STUS leadership immediately. Students will make every effort to return to class after leave/liberty. Failure to communicate possibly delays property may result in disciplinary action and/or removal from the program. 3.4.2.7. When there are extraordinary circumstances that warrant leave at times other than weekend, holidays, and scheduled breaks, submit an absence request as outlined in the Attendance section below. These requests will be granted only for compelling reasons (i.e., significant life events). All requests should be submitted as early as possible to ensure approval and authorization is granted. Class absences must be routed via your STUS DO and CC for approval. Instructors do not have approval authority for absences during academics, but they must concur. In emergency leave situations, contact your respective STUS/DO and/or STUS/CC for expedited coordination/approval. 3.4.2.8. For absences removing the student from only one academic session of any class, the course instructor and student will devise a one-on-one make-up plan. For absences longer than 2 academic sessions of any one class, students must complete a tailored education plan. ACSC will accommodate students that require convalescent, maternity, and caregiver leave, in accordance with AFI 36-3003, Military Leave Program or service or country-specific guidance, but they must coordinate with their instructor and STUS team in advance. 3.5 Travel/Absence Request Procedures 3.5.1. General Absence Request: Any planned activity (to include TDYs) that results in a student missing any portion of a scheduled academic event requires an absence request and approval by the STUS leadership. Absence requests are accomplished via the M365 Teams Absence tracker in the AY25 STUS General Channel. Requests will be submitted as early as possible prior to the occurrence. Students should communicate with their STUS/DO early for any questions or concerns regarding the absence request. 3.5.2. Emergency/Unplanned Absence Requests: There are times when mishaps, illness, or family emergencies preclude students from properly routing an absence request. Under these circumstances, students must inform their STUS/DO, flight lead, and instructor of the unexpected absence request. In these situations, the Flt/LDs should expect to assist with or accomplish the absence request documentation. Topic 3: SOCIAL AND OPPORTUNITIES Each year, there is a robust network of spouses within ACSC and the sky is the limit on how integrated and involved you want to be. As the year kicks off, you can expect individuals to reach out to see what level of involvement you want to pursue. There is also usually an ACSC Student and Families Group pertaining to each student group that you may wish to join on Facebook. We just ask that correspondence on social media pertaining to ACSC not be considered official school policy or correspondence.