Military recruitment "opt-out" forms due Sept. 16

Military recruitment "opt-out" forms are available to all students who do not wish that the military obtain personal information through the Montgomery County School System, according to the Committee on Recruitment Issues at Blair. The forms are due to the main office by Sept. 16.

In the No Child Left Behind Act, signed by President Bush in 2001, there is a section that requires secondary schools to provide a list of names, phone numbers and addresses of all their students to military recruiters upon request. Also, military recruiters are guaranteed the same access to schools and students as college recruiters and employers. The military has the authority to contact anyone at home in their efforts to recruit teens.

In response to these laws, MCPS has provided students with an "opt-out" form which gives parents and students the option to withhold personal information from military recruiters. These forms are due annually by Sept. 16. The form can be downloaded in either English or Spanish. The form can be turned in to the Main Office or mailed to: Student Directory Information, Main Office, Montgomery Blair High School, 51 University Blvd. East, Silver Spring, MD 20901.

The Committee on Recruitment Issues at Blair is a group of parents, administrators, students and teachers who focus on the recruitment issues at Blair. They discuss issues dealing with military recruitment at Blair. These issues include the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, the various ways the military can access student information and how students can access factual information about the military. Madeleine Fletcher, one of the organizers of this group, said that one of the primary objectives is to increase awareness of the "opt-out" form.

Fletcher invites anyone interested in joining the group and discussing the negative impact that military recruiters have on students and the school to contact her via e-mail.