Stop Military Recruiter Abuses in Cincinnati Public Schools

It's Time for Cincinnati Public Schools to Eliminate Recruiter Abuses

Greetings,

Under served youth from poor and working class neighborhoods in the Greater Cincinnati area are targeted by military recruiters at a higher rate to join the Army and the Marines, the branches of the Armed Forces that have sustained 93% of the casualties in the Iraq war . With ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. military has aggressively stepped up its recruiting efforts in high schools, spending $4 billion a year on recruiting, hiring global marketing communications experts to develop media campaigns, and using new recruiting tools, like video games, to target youth. Due to mounting allegations of recruiter misconduct, the Government Accountability Office analyzed 10,990 allegations during a two year period, and identified a number of factors contributing to more aggressive recruiting including the pressure of monthly recruiting goals.
The passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002 mandated that schools give military recruiters the same access as college recruiters or lose federal funding. Within the Cincinnati Public School System (CPS), individual schools set their own policies regulating recruiters. In selected schools, military recruiters enjoy greater access than others. This includes frequent visits, prime locations in schools, administration of the Army Service Vocational Aptitude Test, access to some classrooms, and presence in the cafeteria. Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center has collected many local stories of recruiter abuses including recruiters offering misinformation regarding educational benefits, level of risk, ability to select the job they want, recruiters following students around campus, calling minors after hours repeatedly.
School districts around the country, including Toledo, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Seattle, and dozens more have implemented proactive districtwide policies to protect students from recruiting abuses. The Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) took a positive step by providing students with the ability to opt-out of having their contact information given to military recruiters, while still providing it to college recruiters. Now, it is time to take the next step. At this point, there is no district wide policy regarding recruiting. Each school has its own set of loose guidelines that are subject to shift as school administration changes. It's time to take a systematic approach to recruiting and follow the lead of dozens of districts in establishing a policy to protect student rights, end the preferential treatment military recruiters receive , and eliminate recruiter abuses.
We are asking you to take steps to protect student rights by implementing the following policy that is in compliance with Section 9258 of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Draft Resolution to Eliminate Recruiter Abuses in the Cincinnati Public Schools

All Recruiters (college, employment, or military) shall be subject to these procedures:

1.Recruiters must register with the school office and wear a visitor's pass.

2.All recruiters must sign a code of conduct before visiting campus.

3.CPS school board and Cincinnati Federation of Teachers will establish procedures to document and resolve violations by recruiters of CPS policy.

4.Except for career and college fairs, recruiters shall have access only to interested juniors and seniors in designated areas of the school.

5.CPS employees shall not engage in recruitment activities on behalf of an outside entity.

6.Materials on making informed military enlistment and employment and educational opportunities shall be available wherever U.S. Armed Forces material is located.

7.Schools should refer to the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Test (ASVAB) by its full name if the test is administered, and ensure test scores are kept confidential by choosing "Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Test (ASVAB) Option 8".

8.CPS shall educate students and parents/guardians on opt-out policies and other policies regarding recruitment.

9.Equal access shall be granted by CPS, to advocates for alternatives to military service.

Sincerely,

[Your name]