Overview

• DoDEA said it received instructions from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to treat all student extracurriculars as excepted activities during the appropriations lapse.
• The update restores athletics and after-school clubs that were paused days earlier, canceling games and practices at posts including Fort Knox, Fort Campbell and Camp Lejeune.
• Sen. Mitch McConnell requested the change in a letter to Hegseth, and the designation was approved within days.
• DoDEA schools continued normal classroom instruction throughout the shutdown, but programs such as football, volleyball and JROTC were disrupted until the reversal.
• Teams have resumed competition and are rescheduling missed events, with parents and coaches saying the restart provides needed stability for military-connected students.