COUNTERING MILITARY RECRUITMENT
Articles: Military Recruiting: No Child Left Behind
ASVAB tests a touchy topic in district
Christina Georgiou, The Saucon News
September 27, 2005
A representative for the Bethlehem-based Lehigh-Pocono Committee of Concern (LEPOCO) voiced concerns Monday night about the presence of military recruiters in local schools and called upon the Southern Lehigh School Board to discontinue the practice of administering Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Tests (ASVAB) to high school students."Deception by recruiters is rampant," Peter Crownfield, LEPOCO's Coordinator for Youth and Militarism, and Youth Peacemaker Programs, told board members. LEPOCO is requesting equal access to students to present counter-recruitment information.
Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction 9-12 Kathy Metrick announced during the high school's regular report that ASVAB testing, scheduled for Sept. 27, had been postponed. She said the test is useful to guidance counselors in career planning, as well as military placement, but the school felt it was best to examine the possible legal ramifications raised in an e-mail sent by Crownfield to Principal Christine Siegfried on Sept. 20.
"We want to err on the side of caution," Metrick said.
The e-mail asserts the district has not provided proper disclosure to students and parents prior to ASVAB testing under state law and that release of educational records of a minor is a violation of the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
Solicitor James Bartholomew said the No Child Left Behind Act requires schools to provide lists of students to the military and allow recruiters access inside to retain federal funding, but wants to address the possible legal issues raised by Crownfield.
"It's not a simple issue. It needs to be looked into," Bartholomew said. "We're going to wait so we can investigate the issue."
Board member John Quigley said he was offended by Crownfield's assertions and frustrated at the postponement.
"Are you saying the military is being deceptive? I take exception to that," he told Crownfield. "Is this the thing we're subject to, that anyone that has an objection, will the legal department stop it cold?" Quigley asked the other board members.
Bartholomew responded, "I would like to have the time to research the issue so I can properly advise the board on the best course of action to follow."
Quigley said this was a "dangerous step" to give way to a political group.
Crownfield said LEPOCO has received an increase of complaints from both parents and students in recent months, and some were particularly concerned about ASVAB testing. He said some parents complained they were not notified of the tests or their purpose.
Crownfield also attributed the complaints to an increasing awareness due to national campaigns such as Leave My Child Alone, as well as a recent article in an Allentown newspaper.
Crownfield said the recruitment techniques are much more intense than those used by colleges and other higher education institutions.
"Colleges don't send representatives to high schools every week and allow them to set up a table in the cafeteria," he said.
In other matters, Superintendent Joseph Liberati presented a preliminary report outlining the district's performance on last year's Pennsylvania System of Schools Assessment (PSSA) standardized tests.
"The elementary schools did very well," Liberati said.
The report states all Southern Lehigh schools met Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) goals required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, indicating an overall improvement in test scores. However, the district has been placed on Level 1 Improvement List because special education students did not meet their AYP goals for two years in a row.
Liberati said the law is unrealistic in its goal of 100 percent of the students testing at 100 percent proficiency by 2014.
Board member Michael Eddinger agreed, saying, "We'll need 100 percent this year, and 102 percent next year to show the improvement."
Schools that fail to meet AYP goals set by the No Child Left Behind Act can have their federal funding cut.
Liberati said a more detailed report outlining the district and individual schools' test score performance will be available in the near future.
Christina Georgiou is a freelance writer for The Saucon News.
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