by David Phinney
Thursday March 28th 2024

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New Meaning for ‘No Child Left Behind’

Okay, so if you can’t cut it in high school, there’s always the military option, and the US military is now beating the bushes for every possible recruit it can find.
A provison to help out Pentagon recruiters was tucked inside the Bush Administration’s much boasted “Leave No Child Behind” education reform of 2002. Although the controversial reform package is aimed at improving public schools, the law also requires schools to provide student contact information to military recruiters, according to a little gem in The Dallas Morning News.
School Districts apparently send letters to families that allow them to “”opt out” of sharing information about their children with the Pentagon, but many parents say it is too late to say no by the time they have a clue about the intent of the program.
The mother of college-bound Michael Galdiano complains that the family mailbox is now filled with military brochures, and that recruiters call the house and even on her high school senior’s cellphone. Here are some Morning News excerpts:

The law’s opponents argue that teenagers aren’t equipped to fend off repeated overtures from well-spoken recruiters who befriend them. And they complain that the military’s sales pitches, which sometimes include giveaways and promises of college scholarships, play down the dangers that new recruits could face….

Ms. (Felicity)Crush, spokeswoman for Leave My Child Alone, said recruiters use “hard sell” techniques, developing friendly relationships with students and offering appealing incentives while leaving some parents and students feeling harassed. Families need to make an informed decision about the military without feeling pressured, she said.
“This is not an anti-military thing,” Ms. Crush said. “This is pro-privacy.”

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