Editorial Editorial (August 27, 2004)

No child left unrecruited?

With thick packets of information sheets and forms to read and sign, it's likely that few of the more than 5,000 high school students who registered at Pleasanton high schools last week read through a somewhat bland, 300-word printed yellow sheet with the title of "No Child Left Behind Act, Public Law 107-110." Buried deep among the usual stack of permission slips and school activities leaflets, just as it was when the NCLB bill was signed into law two years ago, is Section 9528, which is what the high school notice is all about. It grants the Pentagon access to directories with students' names, addresses, phone numbers and even photos so that they may be more easily contacted and recruited for military service. Prior to this provision, one-third of the country's high schools refused recruiters' requests for students' names or access to campus because they believed it was inappropriate for educational institutions to promote military service.

Rich Puppione, Senior Director of Pupil Services for the Pleasanton district, said city high schools have generally responded favorably to military recruiters who seek this kind of information for older students. In fact, the Army and Marines occasionally set up information booths on high school campuses here, such as at Foothill High's annual custom car show each spring. The Marines even sponsor the Amador Valley High School's Web page. Still, after researching mounting protests by organizations opposed to Section 9528 and a lawsuit against one school district in the East, Puppione has added a form that allows students to opt out of the full disclosure requirement. The problem is that the form is on the reverse side of the one-page NCLB information sheet, which many may have missed as they rushed through the crowded registration lines. Those who did and want their personal information kept in their high school files only can still submit the form to their high school counselors. It also requires a parent's signature and gives the option of restricting information from the U.S. military or colleges and universities, or both.

Of course, some students don't mind if this information goes to military recruiters. Many have joined the service upon graduation to take advantage of career-path training such as with the Military Police to prepare for later service with civilian law enforcement agencies. Others appreciate the scholarship opportunities that often come from the military, whether it's college aid after three or four years of active duty or through college grants that generally obligate the student to military service as an officer upon completing a degree program. By allowing detailed records to be transmitted to the military with their high school's endorsement, students are more likely to learn about military and scholarship opportunities than through other sources.

The concern we have is that the NCLB form that was distributed in registration packets is too innocuous for the attention it deserves by students and their parents. Most of us have read about the "No Child Left Behind" program and associate it with development of better academic standards, teacher quality and school safety. The law also has received praise for expanding federal involvement in the design of state testing and accountability systems that have raised the bar for poorly managed or inadequately funded school districts. Less understood and publicized has been the requirement under Section 9528 regarding disclosure of student contact information to military recruiters. To be sure, this information goes to the Pentagon once every male reaches the age of 18 and must register for the draft, even though we don't have one. But Section 9528 is much more sweeping, including information on boys and girls, and eventually being entered on Pentagon and possibly other federal government computers that could be used for data collection by agencies and organizations far removed from the military. It's a federal law that is clearly stated in the registration packet that students and their parents should look at as the new school year gets under way.

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