When it comes to a $200 pair of jeans, parents may not care if their kids are "in" or "out." But when it comes to the military wanting to recruit their children during wartime, they are very likely to care about the in or out distinction.
 
That's why NEA continues to actively support the Rep. Mike Honda's (D-Ca.) Student Privacy Protection Act, which would require parents to pen written consent for the release of their childs contact information to military recruiters.

Recruiters have an open door now, thanks to an "opt out" provision in the federal "No Child Left Behind" Act that makes the release of the information the default. NCLB requires school districts to provide military recruiters the "same access to secondary school students as is provided generally to postsecondary education institutions or prospective employers." Failure to do so can result in the loss of federal funds.
   
Another provision in the law allows parents and students to request that personal information not be released. Schools must notify parents of their right to request that personal student information not be released, but many do not do so.

After NEA lobbyists noticed this past fall that a proposed revision to NCLB by legislators didn't include Honda's amendment, they explained its importance to legislative leaders and won assurances that his bill would make it to the floor as an amendment during debate on the reauthorization of NCLB. To get updates on the status of H.R. 1346, head to NEA's Legislative Action Center.
   
And it's not just the students that the military is targeting. An article in April's NEA Today examined how the military now is using teachers to get to students and how some educators are fighting back:

The Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force are working overtime to win the attention of teachers and education support professionals in order to reach their ultimate quarry: students. The Bush Administrations announcement this winter that the Army and Marine Corps must increase their active duty ranks by 92,000 in the next five years means even more pressure on military recruiters to gain access to educators' classrooms--where theyre not always welcome.

    You can learn more about groups working to inform high school students and parents about NCLB's provisions regarding military recruitment at:

        * The Public Education Network 
        * National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education

Also, get more information about this issue and sample forms that can be submitted to school districts to request privacy protection of student information are available at the Public Education Network Web site.