COUNTERING MILITARY RECRUITMENT
No Child Left Behind
Process
for implementing “opt-out” procedures/policies in
4J school district, Eugene, OR.,
regarding the No Child Left
Behind Act’s, military recruitment
provisions. (6/1/04)
Report includes:
- 2002 & 2003 Opt-out data
- Process of Opt-out implementation
- Next steps
- Click here for Press
Articles about Eugene's NCLB
- Click here to download .pdf of: 4j Opt-out
form in Spanish English
2002 & 2003 Opt-out data
Below is the data resulting from Committee for Countering military Recruitment’s (CCMR) collaborated efforts to work with school administrators to better inform
parents and students of their rights for with-holding personal contact info. from military recruiters. 2003 shows the impact of changes in procedures that were not in effect for 2002.
Opt-out data from Eugene's 4J High Schools
Total 4J school enrollment fall 2003 = 6,350
Total 4J opt-out fall 2003 = 1,982 or 32%
School 2003 enrollment 2003 opt-out 2002 enrollment 2002 opt-out
Churchill 1426 376 or 26% 1400 250 or 18%
North 1289 298 or 23% 1200 50 or 4%
Sheldon 1608 465 or 29% 1600 16 or 1%
South 1732 791 or 46% 1680 300 or 18%
Process of Opt-out implementation
A group called Teacher’s Against War, made up of teachers from various schools, and CCMR, started conversations with a school district’s assistant superintendent about the
NCLB issue of privacy and military recruiters. We had several nice meetings and e-mail correspondence. We explored “opt-out vs. opt-in” concepts and pushed for him to get
the issue on a school board meeting. He never got it on the agenda.
The administrator drafted an Opt-out form which wasn’t very good and which we doubted would be noticed or understood by busy parents. That went nowhere for about 5 months and we decided
to pressure the school board to take up the issue
CCMR organized the teachers, volunteers, a veterans group, students and community members who showed up at three school board meetings and spoke during the “public comment” period.
We emphasized that people should stay focused on “Student Privacy” as the main theme and that we wanted the board to take up this issue and include us in the discussion for determining an adequate
way to deal with this concern.
Before the last Board meeting of the year, we circulated e-mail, generated a little press in local media and showed up before the meeting with signs and big red pins that read, “No Child Left Behind/UNRECRUITED,
STUDENT PRIVACY??? We filled the rather small room. We were able to acknowledge to the district that we know they take student privacy issues very seriously in general. However, on NCLB, we were
“taking the higher ground/standard” and naming the issue (i.e.: privacy) and expecting them to address the issue seriously.
Finally the Board agreed to take up the issue and designated a board member and a new assistant superintendant to meet with us during the summer. I think that to the public, it was going to look bad if the Board
decided to not talk about “privacy concerns”. (We had dictated the message/issue in the press and so determined how the issue was framed.)
We met with the school board member and administrator and determined a plan for the upcoming school year (2003/2004). We got approval of an Opt-out form that a student had written where the title explained
it all. It was to be in a bright color that stood out from other school docs. One side was in English and other was in Spanish. This form was mailed out in the back-to-school packets and it was clear that either Parent
or Student could sign and return it for it to be activated.
Next the administrator contacted each principal and informed them of the expectation that they have a separate table set up during student registration where the form would be available and collected right there.
This was for all four grades. It is generally the case that students stop at each table during their registrations.
Next steps
We recognized that what we have in place is an administrative procedure. What we are working on now is to take the procedures that have been so successful, for helping student’s maintain privacy with regards
to the NCLB Act, and implement policies. We are told by the admin. person we are working with, that these policy issues will most likely be brought up this next fall when the school board resumes.
Our working group has researched the admin policies and come up with where to put specific language into the policies that already exist around existing privacy policies. The admin. person was very appreciative
of this work being worded well, and how well it fitted into existing policies. This will make it easier on them and alleviate an obstacle. They won’t have to imagine what it might say, where it would fit in with
other privacy issues and whether it will be acceptable.
Our suggestion is to insert proposed policy addressing Opt-out and the NCLB requirements on page 3-11 after 1-c under the "Annual Notification of Parents."
Proposed Language:
- Suggestion: Identify the NCLB requirement as an exception to 4j policy and a departure from the District’s tradition of protecting students’ privacy
- ie: insert exception under “Annual Notification of Parents” (p. 3-11, 1c)
- Sample:
“EXCEPTION:
In order to be in compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
(20 USC § 7908) the District must provide, upon request by
military recruiters, access to high school
students’ names, addresses, and telephone numbers. As this requirement is not in compliance with District policy, the District shall:
students’ names, addresses, and telephone numbers. As this requirement is not in compliance with District policy, the District shall:
- Annually inform parents of all high school students, in writing, of the District’s obligation to provide student information to military recruiters and of their right to withhold this information, and shall give them the opportunity to do so.
- Annually inform all high school students, as part of the September registration day process, of the District’s obligation to provide student information to military recruiters and their right to withhold this information, and shall give them the opportunity to do so.
- Inform students and parents of students who enroll in a 4j high school during the school year of the District’s obligation to provide student information to military recruiters and of their right to withhold this information, and shall give them the opportunity to do so.”
Click here to go to Eugene School District 4J Online Policy
Click here to see image of specific policy page of "Education Records" where it is proposed to insert Opt-out policy.
Click here for full .pdf file of "Education Records" policy
Once the above is implemented, we want to take these procedures and policies to as many other school districts as possible in the county.