A little-known provision of the No Child Left Behind Act allows military recruitment offices access to the personal contact information for upper grade level students in schools across the U.S.A.
There is only one way in which parents may block the school from handing over this information to the military: They must choose to OPT OUT, according to a form letter that is typically carried home by students in the early part of the school year. Concerned parents should watch for this flyer info and read it carefully.
By choosing to make the Opt Out selection, parents block the possibility of recruiters showing up at their door one day, perhaps while they are at work. With no one to intervene, who will hold the recruiters accountable for what they tell area youth?
Are they sharing the information, for instance, that the choice of a military career is the one career that you don’t simply “quit.” Unlike other jobs, not showing up for work can result in a military court proceeding and end with time behind bars.
Western Mountains Peace Action Workshop is utilizing grant money in our community to achieve full disclosure on the above issues and on the “promises” that recruiters may make to a youth within their sights. Among other materials, there is a list of questions that any youth or parent should ask the recruiters – along with a factual answer to the question as to how the military is currently functioning.
Western Mountains Peace Action has a resource book of alternative service careers, along with contact information. A number of these pay stipends or fund some college costs. Our area youth need to have access to these resources and job possibilities.
Eileen Kreutz
Industry
Here we are presented again, with the elitist attitude of the Liberal Democrats assuming we’re all idiots and morons that need their protection. What dummy doesn’t know you don’t “quit” the military? They must be the same dummies that don’t know what causes and prevents pregnancy.
Want to “OPT OUT”? Go ahead and opt out. We don’t need the type in the military anyway. We need people who will do more than simply be “present”, we need people to participate. We need people to actually do something, besides “OPT OUT”.
The military should follow the rules like other businesses do.
They should not be talking to kids under 18 without parents present.
As for quitting the military. i guess not everyone who is still in highschool is as smart as Leon.
If there was compulsory service like it used to be,then obviously you can’t quit, but the phrase “volunteer army” might give a teenager the idea of just that.
Recruiters according to what I have read can be pretty persuasive selling glory to teenagers.
If there product is that good to sell. They should not mind having parents present.
As for “the we don’t need”..comment. Seems like enlistment is down and they do need.
Sign me one of those pesky liberal elitists
Businesses are required to speak to students under 18 with a parent present? I didn’t know that. I was under the impression that a student under 18 could not sign a legal, binding, contract, with anybody, without their parents consenting signature. That applies to the military as well as any business.
I thought anybody could talk to anyone they wanted to, students under 18 included.
No, we do not need anyone in the military who doesn’t want to be there. They’re bad for unit cohesion and morale, which suffers enough during hard times without people who don’t want to be there. Should be able to quit, as far as I am concerned. Deployment’s over, don’t want to stay in, “Goodbye.”
According to what I’ve heard and seen, through being actively recruited and declining, is that recruiters are absolutely required to tell the truth to potential recruits.
“Private Benjamin” was a movie. When you get through the aptitude test and physical, you sit down with someone to discuss what “you” want.
Don’t believe anything someone says, get it in writing. If it’s not written on a signed contract, “No thanks.”
According to Army statistics, 70 percent of soldiers eligible to re-enlist in 2006 did so — a re-enlistment rate higher than before Sept. 11, 2001. For the past 10 years, the enlisted retention rates of the Army have exceeded 100 percent. As of last Nov. 13, Army re-enlistment was 137 percent of its stated goal.
Funny, they’re staying on active duty when they could get out.
They’re falling short on increased recruitment goals, which is bound to happen when a third of them can’t pass a physical agility test, and are obese to the point where they’d be in danger of dying during basic training.