Lockwood pauses JROTC course offering after low enrollment; CNA and EMT programs to continue with modifications

District officials told residents they will not offer the Air Force JROTC course next academic year because the program failed to meet the MOA’s enrollment and staffing requirements. "The program did not meet the required staffing and enrollment threshold under the agreement and therefore cannot operate," the chair said when summarizing the Q&A with regional ROTC leadership.

Administrators explained MOA rules: the Air Force requires either 100 cadets or a minimum of 10% of a high‑school population (whichever is less) to maintain an active course; Lockwood’s cited counts for the high school produced a shortfall. Staff said they received repeated notices from regional JROTC leadership and that the district made an operational decision to pause the in‑school course listing rather than pursue emergency staffing or indefinite financial supplementation.

By contrast, the district emphasized that the CNA program "is not being cut." Staff reported that Lockwood has a state‑certified CNA program, acquired a nurse with the required experience, and is arranging dual‑credit delivery and testing through Highland Community College so students can receive both high‑school and college credit if they pass the CNA exam. EMT remains planned for next year with an anticipated request to hire; woodshop was adjusted for safety and administrators said they will monitor and reopen coursework when it is safe.

Board and community speakers repeatedly urged better advance communication about program risks. District officials acknowledged they could have given the community earlier notice about JROTC probation letters from the Air Force and said they will try to provide earlier alerts when federal MOAs or outside partners signal program risk.