Some people might not have known what richthink was referring to in his blog about recruitment in schools. Parents may not realize there is a provision in the No Child Left Behind Act which requires secondary schools that receive federal funding to turn over your child’s personal information directly to military recruiters. Section 9528, No Child Left Behind Act, http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg112.html#sec9528 . This is regardless of age or sex. This provision also applies to private schools and home schooled children if they test through the school district. Schools which do not comply risk losing federal funding. The information provided includes your child’s address, phone number, and social security number. Military recruiters then use this information to contact your minor son or daughter, without a parent’s initial involvement.

A provision is provided in the NCLB Act to allow parents to “Opt-Out” by signing a form stating you do not want your children’s private information to be disclosed to military recruiters. Permission is assumed, unless specifically denied. Each school district is different in their opt out policy and how they relay to you the ability to do so. Some do not provide information regarding this option at all, some have a distinct form which makes it obvious, and some adopt a “blanket opt out” form. The “blanket opt out” form does provide the ability to opt out of military recruitment lists, but is often vague or unspecific, and includes preventing the disclosure of your child’s information to colleges and schools, scholarships, and/or the exclusion of your child’s name in the school directory or yearbook. My belief is that this should be a separate option; the blanket opt out is legal but penalizing of the student. Even better would be the ability to “opt-in”, where parents can grant permission for their children to be contacted by military recruiters if they want them to be.

A letter can also be completed and submitted to your child’s school to prevent military recruiters from contacting your children by using information obtained through the provision in the NCLB Act. Check with your school district to find out when this letter can be submitted during the school year. Some require them by a certain date, others require you submit a new letter or form each year. www.pta.org/documents/military.pdf

The decision to voluntarily enlist can and should be made without the unsolicited mail, phone calls, and personal visits to a minor child in their own home. The ability to utilize these types of aggressive recruiting techniques is the entire reason the provision was included in a law supposed to be about accountability standards. As adults, we are cautious and selective regarding who is allowed access to our personal information, and this same concern should be extended to protect our children’s. This information is being provided so that those parents who may not have been aware of this often unknown provision can make an informed choice about their children’s privacy rights.