ACLU of Arkansas Protects’ Student and Family Privacy:

Puts Arkansas School Officials that Students’ Contact Information is going to the Military

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
9/29/2005

CONTACT: Rita Sklar or Grif Stockley, (501) 374–2660

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS—Yesterday, September 29, 2005, the ACLU of Arkansas sent letters to the director of the Arkansas Department of Education and all Arkansas high school principals and superintendents regarding the little known intrusive military recruitment tactics being used in schools around the country.

As the new school year begins, the military will obtain thousands of private student contact information under little-known provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. The ACLU sent out the letters to school officials to put them on notice that they must not only inform students and parents that this is happening, but must allow parents and students to opt out of being contacted by the military and remain in the school directory for other purposes.

Many school officials have wrongly interpreted the law to mean that they must hand over every student’s contact information to the military without even informing parents and students that this is happening. The vast majority of school officials, parents and students do not know that when high school students agree to be listed in the school directory (for college and career opportunities) they also agree to being called at home by the military for recruitment purposes.

“I was shocked to learn that almost no students and parents—much less school officials, even at the Arkansas Department of Education—are even aware of this provision, much less aware of how to implement it lawfully,” said Rita Sklar, executive director of the ACLU of Arkansas. “It should be of great concern to everyone that, not only do most people not know what’s happening, they are unaware that the school is supposed to give parents and students adequate notice that it’s happening, and that they may opt out. We notified local school officials so they would at least become aware of the situation; however the real fault is not so much with them, but those at both the federal and state level who have given them no guidance as far as we can tell.”

“The failure to inform students and parents of the right to opt out is a major violation of the federal law and concerns Arkansas families with high school age students,” said Grif Stockley, staff attorney for the ACLU of Arkansas. “Both this provision of the law and the implementing guidelines put forth by the U.S. Department of Education require notification to both students and parents, and it appears that this is not happening in Arkansas.”

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