Grand Forks Schools Launch Public Service Career Sessions
Seventh-graders are getting hands-on exposure to fire, police, EMS and 911 dispatch careers through a new four-session program.
Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Secondary Education
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The Grand Forks school district held the first of four public service career sessions for seventh-graders on Nov. 4 at the Grand Forks Public Safety Center. Thirteen students from Schroeder, South and Valley middle schools took part in the program, which is run with the Grand Forks Public Safety Center and the Scouting America Exploring Program.
Why it matters
The district is expanding career programming further down into middle school grades, and it hopes the program will generate more interest in public safety careers among local students. The sessions give students direct contact with working professionals in the community.
Thirteen students from Schroeder, South and Valley middle schools attended the Nov. 4 session, one of four planned seventh-grade sessions scheduled on early release Wednesdays. Grand Forks and the air base together have four middle schools, so the program reaches a subset of the district's middle school population.
The players
Grand Forks Public Safety Center
The Grand Forks Public Safety Center is the city facility that houses the community's public safety services and hosted the Nov. 4 session.
Scouting America Exploring Program
Scouting America's Exploring Program offers career-focused youth programs that connect young people with professionals in fields such as public safety.
The details
Firefighters, law enforcement officers, emergency medical services staff and 911 dispatch professionals shared their career paths and led students through occupation-related activities. The program was modeled on a Public Safety Day the district offered high schoolers during the prior school year, and the sessions are scheduled on early release Wednesdays so they fit within the regular school day.
Timeline
Prior school year: Public Safety Day held for high schoolers.
Nov. 4, 2026: First seventh-grade public service career session held at the Grand Forks Public Safety Center.
Remaining three sessions: Scheduled on early release Wednesdays.
Season Trajectory
The Grand Forks program draws on the Scouting America Exploring Program's career-exploration model and applies it to seventh-graders, a younger group than the high schoolers served by the district's prior Public Safety Day. The expansion mirrors a broader move to introduce career pathways earlier in middle school.
Parents of seventh-graders at Schroeder, South and Valley middle schools can expect future sessions on early release Wednesdays. Students interested in public safety careers can ask their middle school career advisor about the remaining sessions.
The takeaway
Career exposure in middle school can shape later education choices, and the Grand Forks program gives seventh-graders a direct look at public safety work before high school course selection begins.
What happens next
The remaining three seventh-grade sessions are scheduled for early release Wednesdays.
Further reading
For more on school programs in the region, explore Secondary Education coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Grand Forks Herald.
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