Hey all,
This is part of a mailing I got forwarded from the Palo Alto School District PTA:
Did you know that military recruiters have access to high school students & their directory info? “No Child Left Behind” (“NCLB”) entitles military recruiters to receive the name, address, phone number, gender, & parents’ names of all Juniors & Seniors [in Public High School].
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PRIVACY OF STUDENT RECORDS
Most of the information below is from
Two laws currently allow military recruiters to receive the names, addresses, & telephone listings of all juniors and seniors in high school. However, each district must
(1) provide notice to parents of the types of student info it releases,
(2) explain that parents have the right to request that the information not be disclosed, and
(3) include info on how to “opt out” of the release of such info, and any applicable deadlines.
The term “opt out” refers to a parent or student’s ability to request that their records & contact info not be disclosed. In addition, the Department of Defense (DOD) has created a massive database for recruiting & other “routine” purposes. It’s maintained by a group called “JAMRS” (Joint Advertising Market Research and Studies). The Pentagon has been building this database of info on more than 25 million children over the past five years. The database is updated daily and distributed monthly to the Armed Services for recruitment purposes. Parents and students can also “opt out” of being included in this database — but the info is not deleted; rather, it is moved to a “suppression file,” where the Pentagon will retain, but not release, the information.
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NATIONAL PTA’S POSITION
National PTA seeks to increase awareness & community sensitivity about the collection & dissemination of info regarding students, and believes that such records should respect the right to privacy and be relevant to a child’s education. National PTA supports legislation & policies that would change current law by providing for an “opt in” policy where interested students & families can instead choose to request contact from military recruiters. Parents & students deserve to know who has their information, and parents should be involved in the important decision to enlist in military service. In particular, National PTA supports H.R.1346, the Student Privacy Protection Act of 2007, by Rep. Mike Honda (San Jose). Rep. Anna Eshoo, who represents this area, is a co-sponsor.
National PTA’s web site hasn’t been updated, but their info about the equivalent bill in the previous Congress (H.R.551) is online […].
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FURTHER INFO, SAMPLE LETTERS, ETC.
For more information on military recruitment in schools & the DOD database (including details on how to “opt out”, sample letters, & links to other web sites), go to National PTA’s web site [PDF].
Inspirational Quote:
“”The neurotic has problems. The psychotic has solutions.” -Thomas Szasz
