Today's Life Solutions / Family /
Military Recriters Seek Access To Student Info
Ray Rivera
December 12, 2001
High schools are the focus of the men and women charged with enlisting
356,000 new active-duty and reserve soldiers each year. But military
recruiters say gaining access to students has become increasingly difficult
in recent years with the proliferation of student-privacy laws, the growing
lure of college and the shrinking ranks of teachers, counselors, coaches
and parents who have military experience. The war on terrorism and the
buildup of homeland defenses using reserve and National Guard troops has
heightened the pressure on recruiters to keep the ranks filled. Their jobs
could soon be made easier under proposed legislation that would give
military headhunters far greater access to students by requiring all high
schools that receive federal aid to turn over lists of their students'
names, addresses and phone numbers.
Schools that did not comply or that denied on-campus visits would risk
losing federal grants and contracts, according to U.S. Rep. Johnny Isakson,
R-Ga., who pushed for the amendment to the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act. The legislation could affect 2,000 to 3,000 high schools
nationwide that deny recruiters access to their campuses or student contact
information, according to Pentagon numbers. Opponents of the measure say it
conflicts with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which
prohibits the release of information about students without permission from
their parents.
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