Anti-Recruitment

Stop the harassment of minors by Military Recruiters!

Support Personal Privacy!

Opt out! Read this through then click on the link at the bottom of the page to get your opt-out form.

Recruiting in High School

High School Campus Recruiting Buried in President Bush’s much-touted No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 was Section 9528, a requirement that all public and private high schools receiving federal funds must “provide access to students’ names, addresses and phone numbers” to military recruiters. It also mandates that high schools must allow military recruiters the same campus access to students as is granted to college recruiters and prospective employers.

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT OF 2002, SECTION 9528

SEC. 9528. ARMED FORCES RECRUITER ACCESS TO STUDENTS AND STUDENT RECRUITING INFORMATION.

(a) POLICY-

• (1) ACCESS TO STUDENT RECRUITING INFORMATION- Notwithstanding section 444(a)(5)(B) of the General Education Provisions Act and except as provided in paragraph (2), each local educational agency receiving assistance under this Act shall provide, on a request made by military recruiters or an institution of higher education, access to secondary school students names, addresses, and telephone listings.

• (2) CONSENT- A secondary school student or the parent of the student may request that the student’s name, address, and telephone listing described in paragraph (1) not be released without prior written parental consent, and the local educational agency or private school shall notify parents of the option to make a request and shall comply with any request.

• (3) SAME ACCESS TO STUDENTS- Each local educational agency receiving assistance under this Act shall provide military recruiters the same access to secondary school students as is provided generally to post secondary educational institutions or to prospective employers of those students.

(b) NOTIFICATION- The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall, not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, notify principals, school administrators, and other educators about the requirements of this section.

(c) EXCEPTION- The requirements of this section do not apply to a private secondary school that maintains a religious objection to service in the Armed Forces if the objection is verifiable through the corporate or other organizational documents or materials of that school.

(d) SPECIAL RULE- A local educational agency prohibited by Connecticut State law (either explicitly by statute or through statutory interpretation by the State Supreme Court or State Attorney General) from providing military recruiters with information or access as required by this section shall have until May 31, 2002, to comply with that requirement.

STOP RECRUITERS FROM APPROACHING MINORS!

Two Northern California Cities Ban Military Recruiting of Minors

On November 4, 2008, voters in Arcata and Eureka, California approved ballot initiative ordinances that prohibit the military recruiting of any person under the age of 18.

Specifically, the “Youth Protection Act” makes it an infraction for any military recruiter to initiate contact with minors, within the city limits, for the purpose of recruiting them into any branch of the military.

The ordinance in no way prevents anyone from choosing to talk with a recruiter if he or she wants to do so.

The No Child Left Behind (and Un-Recruited) Act

When the Federal “No Child Left Behind” education legislation was by Congress, slipped in was language that requires high schools to provide to military recruiters personal information about all 11th and 12th grade students so they can be contacted by these recruiters.

By the time someone is a junior or senior in high school, they are aware that serving in the military can be an option in their life, and also should know that if they want more information about military service, they can make a call to a military recruiter themselves, visit a recruiting office or visit a military web page.

Rather than protect the privacy, and ability for a high school student to contact a military recruiter out of their own choice, the No Child Left Behind act forces high schools to release private information to recruiters out of a threat of loss of federal funding.

At the present time, the only way a student, or their parent, can prevent the disclosure of private information to military recruiters is to sign an “opt-out” form and return it to the high school administration office. Also, work is being done by numerous groups, including Veterans For Peace, to challenge the “opt-out” rule to change it to an “opt-in” requirement, where unless a student, or their parent have given permission, high school contact information will not be given to recruiters unless prior permission has been given.

As emerging adults, high school students should have the right to choose when and who will be given their personal information. By returning the opt out form, they will have that right.

Additional Internet Resources

No Child Left Behind Act and Release of Student Information to Military Recruiters: Section 9528 of the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act – www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg112.html

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) – www.nclb.gov

Clarification of NCLBs military recruitment provisions from the Superintendent of NY Public Schools – www.emsc.nysed.gov/deputy/nclb/miscellaneous/militaryrecruiters-fm.html

Alternative responses to opening the doors of our schools to unrestricted access by military recruiters: Military Recruiting Law Puts Burden on Parents (and other links) www.wagingpeace.org/articles/2002/11/24_rivera_recruiting-law.htm

Palm Beach Peace Recruiters – www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0628-06.htm

Teachers for Peace – http:://teachersforpeace.org

Educational implications and assessments related to NCLB and Education Yes: Curriculum, Assessment and Adequate Yearly Progress Information for Michigan Schools – www.michigan.gov/mde

Rethinking Schools – www.rethinkingschools.org

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Unless YOU opt-out your child, his/her name, address, and phone number WILL be given to military recruiters. Contact your student’s Principal’s Office.

GET YOUR OPT-OUT FORM HERE!