[Mb-civic] Recommended: "Rift over recruiting at public high schools"

Thu May 19 05:18:17 PDT 2005

harry.sifton at sympatico.ca recommends this article from The Christian Science Monitor

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Headline:  Rift over recruiting at public high schools
Byline:  Dean Paton Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
Date: 05/18/2005

(SEATTLE)While most Parent Teacher Student Association meetings might center on 
finding funding for better math books or the best way to chaperon a 
school dance, a recent meeting here at Garfield High School grappled 
with something much larger - the war in Iraq.

The school is perhaps one of the first in the nation to debate and vote 
against military recruiting on high school campuses - a topic already 
simmering at the college level. In fact, the Supreme Court recently 
agreed to decide whether the federal government can withhold funds from 
colleges that bar military recruiters.

High schools are struggling with a similar issue as the No Child Left 
Behind Act requires that schools receiving federal funding must release 
the names of its students to recruiters. Some feel that's an invasion 
of privacy prompted by a war effort that has largely divided the 
American public. Others say barring recruiters is an infringement of 
free speech - and a snub to the military, particularly in a time of war.

Garfield High School took a decisive step last week with a vote of 25 
to 5 to adopt a resolution that says "public schools are not a place 
for military recruiters."

All this comes as recruiters struggle to meet enlistment goals.

Although PTA chapters are supposed to be "nonsectarian and nonpartisan, 
which means nonpolitical," according to Jenny Sopko, a spokeswoman for 
the national PTA in Chicago, Garfield's PTSA cochair maintains that its 
action is "wholly consistent with our mission."

"The mission of the PTA is to protect and defend kids," says Amy 
Hagopian, a mother of three whose son is a Garfield senior. "It's not 
just limited to education issues - which explains why the PTA takes 
positions on kids' health, violence, and other serious issues."

Garfield, with 1,600 students, is one of Seattle's top high schools, 
routinely producing bumper crops of National Merit Scholars, plus 
internationally acclaimed student orchestras and jazz bands. It's also 
racially diverse, with African-American students making up 31 percent 
of its student population.

Like so many schools today, Garfield grapples with painful budget cuts, 
loss of teachers, and dwindling resources. The school's opposition to 
military recruitment seems, in part, a result of parents' growing 
realization that tax money spent for the Iraq war is money not spent on 
children's educations or other domestic needs.

"They're spending $4 billion a month in Iraq, but we have to cut our 
race relations class, which costs $12,500," Ms. Hagopian pointed out. 
"That's an important class for our kids."

During discussion at the PTSA's meeting last week, Ted Inkley argued 
against the resolution because he thought it dangerous to deny free 
speech to organizations simply because their philosophies or intentions 
disagreed with the PTSA.

Mr. Inkley, an attorney whose daughter is a senior, told the crowded 
library he could "easily" see a resolution by some other PTA that 
banned Planned Parenthood representatives from campus because of their 
views on contraception and abortion.

Steve Ludwig, whose son is a senior and whose daughter will enter as a 
freshman next fall, made a point shared by many in attendance: Garfield 
does not allow organizations that promote illegal activities to recruit 
students to perform those activities, nor does it allow organizations 
that discriminate on the basis of race, gender, national origin, or 
sexual orientation to recruit on campus.

"Planned Parenthood, as far as I know, does not advocate or perform 
illegal acts. The US military does," Mr. Ludwig continued. The 
soft-spoken carpenter said he would not object if Army representatives 
came to Garfield to debate their ideas on torture or aggressive war. 
"What I object to is their coming here to recruit students to perform 
those acts," he said. "It's not about free speech."

Nationally, there's a growing sense that recruiters desperate to 
bolster falling enlistment numbers are misrepresenting sign-up 
agreements to entice recruits. In response to 480 allegations of 
improprieties by recruiters since Oct. 1, the Army announced it will 
suspend its recruiting for one day on May 20, so commanders can remind 
its 7,500 recruiters of proper conduct.

Douglas Smith, a US Army spokesman, said the job of recruiters is not 
to make promises but to show applicants possibilities and career 
options.

"As for a recruiter making promises and not following through, the 
recruiter's not in any position to promise anything. We hope that all 
our recruiters are communicating honestly with our applicants," Mr. 
Smith said. But he added, "In the contract [between the new soldier and 
the Army] it says, 'Anything the recruiter may have promised me is 
moot.' "

Smith also pointed out the legality of military recruitment activity on 
campuses. "The No Child Left Behind Act requires schools to let us have 
access to these students," he says.

Indeed, the resolution by Garfield's PTSA is more symbol than policy, 
for Seattle, like virtually all school districts, requires high schools 
to give recruiters access to students - or risk losing federal funding 
under Section 9528 of the act. School districts also are required to 
notify parents and students that they may "opt out" by signing a letter 
preventing recruiters from getting their names.

In response to Garfield's resolution, Seattle's district issued a 
statement reinforcing its policy of allowing recruiters to work on high 
school campuses, but also said it would increase efforts next fall to 
make it easier for parents and students to opt out.

"Nothing in this resolution prevents students desirous of joining the 
military from doing so," said Sasha Riser-Kositsky, a Garfield 
sophomore from a written statement during last week's meeting. "Indeed, 
there is a recruiting center within a five-minute walking distance of 
Garfield."

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