New Army powers

All U.S. public high schools are now required to provide military recruiters with direct access to student contact information. As part of President George W. Bush's educational reform, non-compliant schools risk losing federal education funding.

The No Child Left Behind Act, which took effect July 1, 2002, states that "each local educational agency receiving assistance under this Act shall provide, on a request made by military recruiters or an institution of higher education, access to secondary school students' names, addresses and telephone listings." However, a student or parent can request that this information be withheld.

The new law "levels the playing field" by allowing military officials access to the same information given to colleges and businesses, said Scott Campbell, an Army public affairs officer.

But many educators are concerned that the law may intrude upon the rights of student privacy. "We feel it is a clear departure from the letter and the spirit of the current student privacy laws," said Bruce Hunter, chief lobbyist for the American Association of School Administrators, in this month's Mother Jones Magazine.

Senior Tito Bonilla was surprised when the military first contacted him. Bonilla said the military discussed his plans for the future, mentioned the military's benefits and asked to schedule an interview with him. Though Bonilla does not know how the military accessed his contact information, he is concerned that they were able to do so. "I don't want them calling me," he said.

Bonilla acknowledges the usefulness of the law for the military but does not fully support it. "It is good to try to get people in the military, but they should ask the students [for information] first," Bonilla said.

Previously, Blair did not give any student information lists to military recruiters, said Career Information Coordinator Sharon Williams. "It's not public domain," Williams said.

Guidance Resource Counselor Karen Hunt believes that Blair does comply with the new law and would give out only required information. Since the law took effect, no recruiters have contacted Blair for student information, she said.

Currently, Staff Sergeant and Air Force Recruiter Brian Bowden receives only basic information, which states only how many upperclassmen there are at Blair. This data then goes into the army "market," which, Bowden said, determines how many students the military is supposed to recruit from the school. Bowden's recruit quota stands at two to three students per month.

According to Bowden, the only information the military currently obtains from students comes from the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), which gets information given voluntarily by students interested in joining the army. If students are interested, the military will contact them if they have the required test scores.