Parents can keep student info from military recruiters

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

By CHRISTINE FREY
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Parents can ask Seattle Public Schools not to share their child's contact information with the military and other groups by filling out and returning an "opt-out" form that the district is mailing this week.

GETTING THE FORM

Copies of the military "opt-out" form are available from Seattle Public Schools, or click here to view a copy (PDF, 44K).

The form, which will be sent to families of the 46,000 children enrolled in the district, is included in a back-to-school packet.

It offers parents of high school students three options. They can:

Release their child's name, address, telephone number and other "directory" information to the military, colleges and universities, scholarship grantors and other groups.
Refuse to release their child's information to the military only.
Refuse to release their child's information to all groups.

District spokesman Peter Daniels said the military-only opt-out choice was added last year at the request of parents. The form is distributed at the beginning of every school year.

"It's always been required by law, but people have just specially asked for the military piece of it," he said.

Parents who do not want their child's information released to the military must return the form to their child's school by Oct. 10.

High schools are required to release information on juniors and seniors who don't opt out to military recruiters under the No Child Left Behind Act, which applies to schools that receive federal funding.

They are also required to give military recruiters the same access to students as other campus recruiters.

Military recruiters can talk to students on campus, even if their parents sign and return the opt-out form.

The Seattle School Board will address the issue of campus recruiting at its Sept. 7 meeting, when it is due to vote on new regulations for school visitors.

The changes -- which would apply to all recruiters, not just military -- would require schools to outline how often recruiters can visit campus, designate areas where they can go, and maintain a monthly calendar of visits.

Recruiters who do not follow the regulations could be banned from school for the rest of the semester.

P-I reporter Christine Frey can be reached at 206-448-8176 or christinefrey@seattlepi.com.

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