United for Peace & Justice

Support Student Privacy Protection Act of 2005

Read the Actual Bill Here

Support the Student Privacy Protection Act of 2005

It is important to make a family decision about whether or not your child should give his or her information to the military. Mike Honda’s new bill, “Student Privacy Protection Act of 2005” amends section 9528 of the No Child Left Behind Act. This bill specifically prohibits military recruiters from contacting and acquiring minor’s information unless they, or their parents “Opt- In” and agree to being contacted. Right now the term is called “Opt- Out” but Honda wants to change it to “Opt- In”.

Encouraging your local congress- person or representative to sign on to Honda’s Bill is something you can do to help battle the recruitment issue. By passing this Bill, recruiters will not be soliciting students like they do in schools, fairs, and events all over the nation. There have been complaints that some schools are not correctly informing students and parents about their rights to opt- out. By changing the No Child Left Behind Act, there will be drastic strides in counter recruitment. Students and parents will be entitled to the rights they deserve, and pressure to join the military will not be so overwhelming to students.

Representative Sam Farr said: "By introducing this bill, Rep. Honda is taking a critical step in gathering support for this provision in the lead-up to the debate over reauthorization of No Child Left Behind in 2006. Unfortunately, the majority leadership in the House has not indicated that the Student Privacy Protection Act is a priority for them."

Contact Your Congressperson

You can help support Mike Honda's Bill by contacting your local representatives. Below is a list of members of the Black Caucus and the Progressive Caucus that have not yet signed onto HR 551. You can write, call or fax them and urge them to sign onto and support this important bill.

State by State List of Congressional Contacts

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Limits on military recruiting proposed
Military Recruiters Must Await “Opt-In” Before Contacting

September 02, 2010

Subject:

I am writing to express my concerns over the issue of military recruitment in schools. As you may know, the issue of recruitment in schools has come to the forefront of news in the past few months. Military recruiters are taking advantage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) by aggressively targeting schools where the majority of students are low income or people of color. Many young people have, and will continue to end up on the front line of war just months after graduating high school, unless action is taken now. Mike Honda has introduced a new bill into congress HR551, called the “Student Privacy Protection Act of 2005”. This new bill amends section 9528 of the “No Child Left Behind” Act. It specifically prohibits military recruiters from contacting and acquiring a student’s information unless the student, or parent gives consent. Right now, the policy is “Opt Out”, meaning that all students are assumed to want their information to be given to the military unless they, or their parents sign a form that withdraws this information. HR551 would change it to an “Opt In” policy, which means that students or their parents sign a form that allows the military to access their personal information. The “Opt In” policy will give students and parents the rights they are entitled to and deserve, and the pressure to join the military will not be so overwhelming to students. I urge you to do all you can to help stop exploitation of youth through military recruitment. By signing on to Mike Honda’s bill, HR551, you can change the face and path of military recruitment in high schools. Thank you for your attention regarding this important matter. I would appreciate a prompt response from you. Sincerely,
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