COUNTERING MILITARY RECRUITMENT
Articles: Military Recruiting: Student Privacy
Kucinich Wants Law Limiting Military Recruiters In Schools
THE DAILY BELLWEATHER
MARCH 15, 2007
Cleveland Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a Democrat running forpresident on an anti-war platform, signed up last week to cosponsor a
measure designed to reduce access military recruiters now have to high
school students. The bill, H.R. 1346, amends the No Child Left Behind Act
and blocks schools from releasing student information to military officials
without parental parental consent.
Chief sponsor Rep. Mike Honda, a California Democrat whose district includes
the Silicon Valley, said his measure ensures student information remains
private if parents want it that way. Under current law, parents have to
opt-out of the recruiting notification program, and many times they fail to
fill out the paperwork or don't see it. Honda said he has "greatest respect"
for the military but thinks privacy rights trump the Pentagon's recruitment
efforts.
The National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers union, and
National PTA are supporting the privacy plan. Kucinich is one of 37
congressional cosponsors. Honda's remarks when he filed the bill last week
follow:
"Mr. HONDA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to announce the introduction of my
bill, the Student Privacy Protection Act.
"The Student Privacy Protection Act is legislation that will restore the
privacy rights of children and families that were taken away by a
little-known provision of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the
so-called No Child Left Behind Act.
"Under No Child Left Behind, high schools are required to turn over lists of
student contact information to the Department of Defense, which adds this
information to an extensive database of children. The Department of Defense
claims to need the names, addresses, and phone numbers of high school
students for recruiting purposes, because it enables recruiters to contact
children directly in their homes and at school, which is often done without
the knowledge or consent of their parents.
"As a former high school teacher and principal, I am concerned that the
fundamental right of privacy has been taken away from both parents and
children. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis defined privacy as 'the
right to be left alone.' Families are not being left alone, and their
personal, private information is being divulged without their knowledge. Any
database of personal information is subject to abuse. A government that was
established for the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness has no business
collecting extensive personal data about Americans.
"I have the greatest respect for Americans who choose to enter the military,
as well as for those in the Armed Forces who engage in the recruiting
process. Those efforts, however, should respect the privacy rights of
children and their families.'
No Child Left Behind requires schools to give military recruiters the names,
addresses, and telephone numbers of students, unless their parents 'opt-out'
of the list. Schools are only required to provide one notice of the military
recruiting list, so it can be easily overlooked by parents, or perhaps never
received. Moreover, language and cultural barriers can prevent understanding
of the opt-out process, especially in immigrant communities that are subject
to aggressive military recruiting. If parents do not respond, and do not
explicitly object to having their child's personal information released to
recruiters, it is assumed that they have no objections. Under current law,
they must 'opt-out' in order to protect their rights.
The privacy rights of all Americans should be respected. One should not have
to ask for these rights. Today, I am reintroducing the Student Privacy
Protection Act, which I introduced in the 109th Congress. This legislation
will restore the privacy rights of parents and children. The Student Privacy
Protection Act will change the military recruitment provision of No Child
Left Behind from an 'opt-out'' system to 'opt-in.' Under my bill, families
may still choose to 'opt-in' to the recruiting database, but privacy will be
respected by default. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the
rights of students and the rights of families, by supporting the Student
Privacy Protection Act."
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