COUNTERING MILITARY RECRUITMENT
Articles: Military Recruiting: Student Privacy
Students want military recruiters gone from schools
Keith L. Martin, FREDERICK GAZETTE
Jan. 19, 2006
Needing more time to review the issue, the Frederick County Board ofEducation has decided to wait on any potential changes to its policy
regarding the presence of military recruiters in county schools.
For the second meeting in as many months, students from Gov. Thomas
Johnson High School spoke out against administrators allowing
recruiters into school buildings. Three members of the school's
Rainbow Alliance and Young Socialist Club discussed their opposition
to allowing the military into schools, claiming that doing so is a
violation of the school board's policy on unlawful discrimination,
since the military does not accept openly gay people.
The group has also pushed for greater promotion of the
schools' ``opt out" policy, which allows a student to withhold his
or her address and phone number from being distributed to recruiters.
TJ High junior Bob Hayes told the board he had not heard from its
members regarding his initial request for action during the board's
Dec. 14 meeting. Citing the recent U.S. Supreme Court case Rumsfeld
v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, Hayes told the board
that justices had set a precedent that academic institutions should
not have to accommodate expression they don't agree with to receive
federal funding. Referring to the military as ``bigoted," Hayes
pressed to have representatives of the military as well as higher
education institutions held to the same standards, with visits once
a year or by student invitation only.
``Applying this policy to all who come to school would show that
Frederick County cares about its students," Hayes said.
Frederick attorney Barry Kissin praised Hayes' analysis of the court
case and echoed the sentiment that the school board can take a
position that the military is forcing a point of view that they
don't agree with. Kissin offered to meet with the schools' attorney
and Hayes to provide the board with more information on the decision.
Following public comment by those opposing recruiters, Commissioner
Michael L. Cady (R) said he was proud of his military service and
the service of others. He added that he took exception to some
students calling the recruiters ``liars" regarding promises to
students about a life in the military.
That pro-military sentiment continued after the board's regular
meeting as they reconvened their planning session and considered
review of their recruiter policy.
``I'd like to go on the record, as an ex-military officer, as saying
recruiters are important because you have a choice: you can be
recruited or you can be drafted," school board member Daryl A.
Boffman said. ``If you're recruited, there is some level of
interest, if you're drafted, there is no choice."
The school board's Kathryn B. Groth echoed Boffman's sentiments,
noting her family's involvement in the military. She said it was a
good avenue for some young people.
While the board did not formally agree to review the policy, they
did want more information on the Rumsfeld case to review at their
next meeting on Jan. 25.
Hayes informed the board that he would be back for that gathering
and that a petition on the issue has been circulating. In just less
than a week, more than 300 signatures from students, teachers and
other members of the community have been gathered, he said.
This archive consists of a topically organized selection of
articles culled by members of the Counter-Recruitment List Serve from printed
publications and web sites. The archive is not complete. We have chosen
material relevant to the work of