Schools giving kids info to the military

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Schools giving kids info to the military
9
Thu, 10-12-2006 - 12:48pm

i don't know if this has been covered but i just found out that the schools are giving our military information on our kids ... i guess for recruitment... There are forms that you can send in to Opt - out of the program - though i don't know how well they work... I will be sending them in anyway ---

read this interesting article:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2003290949_dgoodman06.html

and opt out materials can be found here :
http://tools.leavemychildalone.org/index.cfm?event=showContent&contentid=63

Rachel

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-05-1998
Thu, 10-12-2006 - 1:53pm

My son's school lets us know about this in the school newsletter that comes out the first week of school, and includes the form to complete to opt out. My son has opted out each year he's been in school.

Elizabeth

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-26-2005
Thu, 10-12-2006 - 5:36pm
Thanks for the post. I posted similar information under the heading "High School Preadtors" and had several responses that felt my use of the term "predators" was inflamatory. The article in the Seattle Times indicates the term is more fitting than I knew at the time of my post a couple weeks ago.
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-21-2006
Thu, 10-12-2006 - 10:42pm
Where have you been? They have always done this. Usually the senior class and yes they are recruiters. If you have a problem with this and so would I if I had a 17 year old son during war time, talk to your child. Ask them to wait until they graduate to make a decision like that. Also, they can't enlist before they are 18 anyway. Girls are susceptable to this too since the guy in the uniform is usually a good looker and a charmer. Well, they are selling something after all.
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-23-2006
Fri, 10-13-2006 - 11:51am
I usually don't get involved in these topics - my husband has been active duty Navy for the past 19 years, but I think it's time to throw a little reminder out to some people. You need to know there is one other way for ANY recruiter to obtain information - and that is directly from the child. I hope everyone realizes that recruiters are VERY often invited to be in the cafeteria of your local high school during lunch. When they are there, often they bring chin up bars etc with them to interact with the kids ... step one, interact.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Fri, 10-13-2006 - 12:15pm

for me - it's an issue of the schools giving out private information... in this case it's the military - but i'd be annoyed if they gave it freely to anyone - since we are talking about minor children, here...

this isn't meant to be an anti-military post, necessarily.

Rachel

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-1999
Fri, 10-13-2006 - 1:46pm

So true Minnie.

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-26-2005
Tue, 10-17-2006 - 7:10am

deb,

the schools have not always given out personal info to recruiters. they have only been required to do so since Bush signed No Child Left Behind Act.

17 year olds can enlist with parental consent, and a recent article i read on the army's new $200k/yr ad deal with McCann Worldwide pointed out that the new spots are targeted at making mom's comfortable with their children joining the military.

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-26-2005
Tue, 10-17-2006 - 7:17am

minnie,

i don't think we should have to worry about our kids interacting with miltary recruiters at school...or any recruiter for that matter...but it's not like they let any other businesses come in during lunch and do a sales job on our kids do they?

you make a good point that interaction is a first step...it's a first step for predators like the military recruiters in the schools and it's a first step for parents....they need to interact with their kids and make them aware that these people are out there trying to take advantage of their youth and inexperience.

Avatar for mily12
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-18-2003
Tue, 10-17-2006 - 10:18am

This is a tought topic and I'm impressed with the direction the discussion has taken. Last time the topic came up it caused a riff in the board. I'm glad to see that this time around we can all discuss it without getting into a battle.

Joining the armed forces is a personal decision. I grew up during the Vietnam war and the thought of being a soldier always terrified me but that's only due to the fact that I don't have the courage needed to be a good soldier. I admit it, the thought of having an emenmy shooting at me, terrifies me. With the draft gone, IMHO, those who now volunteer are called to this occupation just as are those who chose other careers. I highly respect those young men/women who chose the military as their career. They have something that I definately lack. On the same note, the thought of being a doctor and dealing with blood and guts, terrifies me also (I've been known to pass out at the sight of blood).

As to the recruiters, I've never found them to be overbearing. My DS has mentioned that they are at the school but he hasn't had a problem with them. When my DD was a senior (4 years ago at the start of the Iraqi war), we did recieve one call, but I politely told them that we were not interested and that was the end of that.

Mily