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Articles: Military Recruiting: Student Privacy

Report Finds Little Monitoring of Military Recruiting in Schools

Sewell Chan, New York Times

September 6, 2007

Is military recruiting in New York Cityâ€™s public high schools going too far? A report released this morning suggests that Army recruiters have been permitted to use class time to tout military careers, in violation of city rules, and that high school students were not adequately informed about the risks and benefits of joining the military.

The report, released by the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Manhattan borough president, Scott M. Stringer, is based on a survey of nearly 1,000 students at selected high schools. The report concedes that the survey is by no means scientific, but maintains that the findings are "striking":
          One-fifth of the students in the survey and one in four 12th graders reported that military recruiters had used class time to present information, a violation of Education Department guidelines.
          Two-fifths of students in the survey did not receive a military recruitment opt-out form and one in three students was unsure if their school provided them with an opt-out form at the start of the year. Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, high schools must provide military recruiters, upon request, the names, addresses and phone numbers of all students unless the student or the studentâ€™s parent requests that the information not be released.
          Nearly one in five students in the survey did not believe anyone in their school could properly advise them of the risks and benefits of military enlistment; almost one-third of the students were unsure if such a person was available in their school.
          Nearly half of the students reported that they did not know to whom to notify if they came across misconduct by military recruiters.

The Education Department has received the report and is reviewing it, said Marge Feinberg, a spokeswoman. 'We're not aware of any recruitment during school hours,' she said.

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