Uncle Sam Calling Your Kids at Home!

The principal of Mount Anthony Union High School in Bennington, Vermont, was stunned when she opened a letter from military recruiters requesting a list of her students names, addresses and phone numbers. Like most school districts, Mount Anthony Union High School considers such information confidential and does not release this information to outside organizations or businesses. After requesting an explanation for the unusual demand, Principal Sharon Shea-Keneally received yet another blow: she must either supply the United States Military with all contact information for every student and allow them access to facilities, or face a cutoff from federal aid. Like many principals, Shea-Keneally had not been informed that Section 9528 of the No Child Left Behind Act that went into effect late last year grants the Pentagon access to student directories that can be used for military recruiting.

This new policy has many educators grumbling. In the past, the military had access to facilities and student attention in scheduled events. Some schools decided not to allow the military access to their facilities and students: schools in San Francisco and Portland had refused military recruiters on the grounds that the Pentagon discriminated against gays and lesbians. Although the armed forces have surpassed their recruitment goals for the past two years, the military complained that up to 15% of the high schools in this country are "problem schools". In 1999, the military claims that they were denied access to schools on 19,228 occasions. Now, with this new Act, high schools must allow military recruiters the same campus access that they give to colleges and job recruiters.