FEDERAL AID REQUIREMENTS AND MILITARY RECRUITMENT IN THE SCHOOLS

WHEREAS, the AFT has long opposed legislation placing unrelated policy requirements in legislation authorizing federal aid to education; and

WHEREAS, in years past students were not eligible for higher education grants and loans if they were accused of burning their draft cards; and

WHEREAS, aid to elementary and secondary education was held hostage in the national battle over court-required school desegregation; and

WHEREAS, school districts are required to give military recruiters student information as a condition for receiving funds through the Federal Title I Aid to Disadvantaged Students Act; and

WHEREAS, it has been established that many military recruiters provide high school students who are prospective volunteers for the armed forces with misleading or untrue information and make promises to these students regarding military occupations and training, and post-military economic benefits, including education, which cannot be fulfilled:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers oppose the current provision of law, ESEA Sec. 9528, conditioning eligibility for federal aid on an unrelated and highly controversial requirement and seek to have this provision removed from the law when this legislation is again considered by the Congress by supporting H.R. 1346, sponsored by Rep. Michael Honda (D- CA), to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct local educational agencies to release secondary school student information to military recruiters only if the student’s parent provides written consent for the release; and

RESOLVED, that military recruiters be required to present accurate and realistic information to potential volunteers.

[Adopted by AFT Executive Council, May 2007]