Army gets kids' info from schools

[Major Variola (ret)]

http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/52710.htm

NEW LAW LETS ARMY GET INFO ON HS KIDS

                          By CARL CAMPANILE


                          July 17, 2002 -- U.S. military recruiters have
the authority
                          to demand that education officials turn over
the names,
                          addresses and phone numbers of high-school
students
                          under a new federal law.

                          President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" law
orders school
                          bosses from New York and across the country to
comply
                          with the new edict - or risk losing federal
funds.

                          At the beginning of the school year, parents
will be given an
                          opportunity to call school officials to "opt
out" of disclosing
                          their child's personal information.

                          Access to student records is a boon to the
military in urban
                          areas, where many young men fail to register
for the draft,
                          as required by law.

                          The compliance rate in the Big Apple is one of
the lowest
                          among major U.S. cities, said Lewis Brodsky, a

                          spokesman for the Selective Service. Only 49
percent of
                          young men in New York register after turning
18.

                          The Selective Service had complained that
until recently, it
                          was difficult to get city officials to make
recruiters welcome
                          in their schools.

                          "We're aware of the provision. It's part of
the law and we
                          will comply," said Board of Education
spokesman Kevin
                          Ortiz.

                          Critics of the draft said giving the military
access to student
                          information smacks of Big Brother.

                          "We're opposed to it. It shows that the
government can't
                          be trusted to keep any information
confidential," said
                          George Getz, national spokesman for the
Libertarian Party
                          and the Campaign to End the Selective Service.

                          But U.S. Rep. John Isakson (R-Ga.) told The
Post he
                          pushed for the amendment after a school
district in his area
                          refused to provide military recruiters with
information to
                          contact students, which he found
reprehensible.