I Got This Interesting Letter From The School Board Today...

I had seen this on Michael Moore's site a couple of years ago, but it didn't apply at the time so I guess it slipped my mind.

Military Recruiter Access To Secondary Students


Both federal and state laws require that school districts provide military recruiters access to secondary school students. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001(section 9528 on the back of this sheet), the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2002, and the Pennsylvania act 10(the armed forces recruiting act) reflects these requirements. They collectively require school districts to provide military recruiters the same access to secondary school students as they provide to postsecondary institutions or to prospective employers.


To ensure we are in compliance with the collective laws, our district is required to provide names, addresses, and telephone listings of junior and senior year students to military recruiters, when requested, unless a parent has 'opted out' of providing such information. Act 10 requires the list of graduating seniors(names,addresses,and phone listings) be made available to armed forces recruiters by the first day of the academic year they graduate.

You may ask us to leave your name off the list if you wish. If you do not want your name on this list, fill out the form below and return it to the high school guidance office by July 1st 2008. If you have no objections to your name being on this list, you do not need to fill out the form.

Additional background on this requirement may be found in the Pennsylvania Department of Education's website (www.pde.state.pa.us) in Basic Education Circular Access to Secondary Students. The BEC also contains the Family Educational Rights and Provacy Act (FERPA) information.




At the bottom of the page there is a signature cutoff that you must sign and date to opt out, stating you have been informed of the Pennsylvania law that requires the school district provide my son's information to armed forces recruiters unless I object.

you don't want to grant access to your child; more info here from Mainstreet Moms (a great organization, btw): http://themmob.org/lmca/index.html

Are you sure about that?

and the school district (the two letters is where my confusion came from--again, my apologies)..

forever be left out of the school directory = until they graduate.
At least, that's how they did it in my school district.....
and you have to opt out EVery Year!

and still opt-out of military recruitment.

Thanks Dr. Weast!

If yours does it that way, complain.

You do have to opt put every year, though. That's the law.

Doesn't your son have to register with the selective service system when he turns 18 anyway? When I was a senior in high school, I got a few calls from recruiters ( I guess they got my info from my school) and I told them I was not interested. Simple as that.

I wouldn't want religious groups or even the Peace Corps having access to my child's private records either.

everyone should have a problem with that.

recruiters who aim to sign them up for service. Many of these kids, such as my son was when he was hounded with recruiters' phone calls, are still 17 when the badgering begins.

the number of mailings my kids have gotten over the years, even though we opted out every year as required. The money and energy wasted on something that will be sent to the circular file as fast as it enters the house is amazing! Postcards, letters, and even catalog type deliveries have made it's way through even though we have opted out. And now the phone calls have begun as well, and don't believe them when they say they have taken the child's name off the list even at the child's request, because they don't ... ever ... and the calls are not being made by people in the military anymore. The calls are just as any other phone solicitation, they are being paid by the call!

created by men who have never served in a war themselves, for the sake of lining their own pockets.

They didn't get my sons!

It is disgusting and makes me heart sick to think of how much money and resources are being wasted on the effort.

I told him that no, I didn't want my son entering the military with a Republican in the WH. He asked why, & I said because the Republicans love war. This was before 9/11.

Remember the scene at the recruiter's office in "Private Benjamin":

Judy Benjamin: "What if I don't like it?"

Recruiter: "Quit."

Oh, & she was promised her own private room.

Loved that movie.

Little trinkets like that do interest them, especially when the literature says they get it just for responding. A terrible hampster wheel trap and nothing more!

I remember my draft physical, and watching the lottery on TV. I went to their website and almost got sick to my stomach.

student loan of any type. It won't be long before it reaches into other areas too - registering to vote, getting a drivers license, getting any loan at all ... etc. Won't be long I'm sure.

I have a problem with that. Hopefully you do too.

And if that recruiter only called you once, count your blessings. I had to call the commanding officer to get the recruiter to stop hassling my kids. He was even coming over to our house when DH and I weren't home.

Child told them to go away when approached, throws away info, now that is not a minor. As a minor, I object to personal info being given out.

Phone service is in the name of the parent not the child.

They didn't want to send it out, were just going to hand over all the names/info with no way to drop out. At least you got the letter, make sure it's signed and turned in.

It is a little known part of NCLB, and school funding is predicated on them doing this. We had to threaten to turn them in for not doing it before they agreed to do it. Then our local teen peace group set up a table at the school, handing out forms and collecting them to turn into office.

Everytime I go to the military hospital I see some kid, missing a leg, or his face is all burnt up, and I can't look at them because I am afraid I will cry.
My husband is part of the Army that has to notify Mothers and Wives their loves have died. When my husband heard McCain say, "Never again will we have to send our young men and woman to the middle east for oil" , My husband was like how do they expect me to keep it together when I have to tell a motehr her son died, knowing full well it was about oil?

And your husband too. Here's praying your husband stays safe.

...both college recruiters and military recruiters and buried it in a packet an inch thick. We asked that they re-send it as a single-purpose form, and lo and behold they got at least 250 opt-out responses.

The schools are in a bind -- they have to comply or they lose federal funding. No Child Left Unrecruited!

Hekate