Students and Military Service

clipped from www.mauinews.com VIEWPOINT: Students need to be able to make informed decision on military service By ANN PITCAITHLEY The federal No Child Left behind Act of 2001 contains a little-known provision that threatens the federal funding of any school refusing to turn over the personal contact information of students in grades 7 through 12 to military recruiters. This action is in violation of the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. The federal No Child Left Behind Act also grants military recruiters access to campuses, with their presence far outnumbering college recruiters and prospective employers. Recruiting is currently a $4 billion industry. According to Army spokesman Douglas Smith, the military spent an average of $16,199 for each of its 73,373 recruits in 2005. Almost all students that we have spoken to are unaware that enlistment is a mandatory commitment of eight years, or that their rank, assignment and length of service can change without prior notice or consent.