Protect Student Privacy!

While the war on Iraq has already claimed the lives of over 3,500 young Americans, the Bush Administration has found a new "hotspot" for the U.S. military to occupy: our nation's schools!

From the growing presence of military recruiters in classrooms and cafeterias to schools’ widespread use of standardized military testing and the growth of expensive and deceptive campaigns like "Military Adventure Tours" that glorify war to elementary students, the Pentagon is deeply invested in selling militarism to youth in the United States.

The federal legislation of the "No Child Left Behind Act" forces schools across the country to give military recruiters special access to students' personal information in exchange for much needed school funding! But students and their parents DO have the power to change this!

Send a letter to members of the Senate committee on Children and Families that will be dealing with the reauthorization and demand that they protect student privacy by reversing the military recruitment provisions of No Child Left Behind. Representative Mike Honda introduced the Student Privacy Protect Act in the House that would protect students' personal information unless they specifically choose to share it with military recruiters (a reversal from 'opt-out' to 'opt-in' for having your info shared); tell these committee members that you want them to include similar language in the NCLB reauthorization in order to protect our rights and privacy as young people

Modify the message below and send it to the Senate Committee!

If you're in high school, and therefore directly affected by this policy, please include this in your message.

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November 22, 2009

Subject:

Dear Congressperson

I am writing to express my serious concern about the military recruitment provision, section 9528, of the No Child Left Behind Act. Our schools are places for education, not militarism. Forcing schools to turn over student information to recruiters or risk losing federal funds violates young people's privacy. The 'opt-out' policy is unclear and carried out irregularly from district to district and even from school to school, whereas an 'opt-in' policy allows students and parents the right to make an intentional decision to share their personal information. In the House, Congressman Mike Honda (CA) has introduced H.R. 1346, the Student Privacy Protection Act, which would require that students authorize their information to be shared with military recruiters before the school can turn over the information over. Please support students' right to privacy and determining who their information is shared with by including similar language within the Senate reauthorization of No Child Left Behind. I look forward to hearing how you intend to protect student rights and privacy.
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Thank you for taking action to protect the privacy of yourself and others!