We Want You(Th)! Confronting Unregulated Military Recruitment in New York City Public Schools
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WE WANT YOU(TH)! CONFRONTING UNREGULATED MILITARY RECRUITMENT IN NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS About Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer and the New York Civil Liberties Union About Manhattan Borough President About the New York Civil Liberties Union Scott M. Stringer The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) is one Scott M. Stringer, a native New Yorker, was of the nation’s foremost defenders of civil liberties sworn in as Manhattan’s 26th Borough President and civil rights. Founded in 1951 as the New York in January 2006. During his tenure, Borough affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, it President Stringer has led the way in addressing is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization with many of Manhattan’s most pressing issues, six chapters and nearly 50,000 members across including: increasing community input and the state. The NYCLU believes that all New Yorkers response to development and planning projects have certain unalienable rights that cannot be across the borough; introducing comprehensive taken away by the government or by majority vote reform and empowerment measures to and fights for civil liberties and civil rights through Manhattan’s Community Boards; leading the fight a multi-layered program of litigation, advocacy, to maintain and create new affordable housing public education and community organizing. The units across the borough; empowering parents NYCLU represents those who face injustice and to better participate in the public school system; are fighting back: men and women, rich and poor, investigating and recommending policy action on gay and straight, black, white and brown, young the city’s many transportation issues; and helping and old, religious and atheist, able-bodied and working families and small businesses access living with a disability, citizens and immigrants. resources to become and remain self-sufficient. The NYCLU believes that when their rights are vindicated, all New Yorkers benefit. WE WANT YOU(TH)! Confronting Unregulated Military Recruitment in New York City Public Schools 1 Acknowledgments Thank you to the Ya-Ya Network, New York The Borough President would also like to thank City United for Peace and Justice, the New the following staff members who worked on this York Collective of Radical Educators and other report: Megan Shane, Director of Policy and members of the Students or Soldiers? Coalition Research; Ryan Galvin, Deputy Director of Policy for their insights and assistance. Additional and Research; Alaina Colon, Chief of Staff; Eric thanks to Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM), Pugatch, Communications Director; Jimmy Yan, Make the Road by Walking, Urban Youth General Counsel; Scott Schell, Senior Advisor; Collaborative and the American Friends Service and Jenifer Clapp, Policy Analyst. Thank you to Committee-New York Metro for their support the staff of the Borough President’s Office who in researching this report. Thanks also to Pat surveyed students and offered reviews of drafts Elder, Rick Jankhow, Jim Murphy, Seth Rader, of this report. Edwin Mayorga, Josh Heisler, Leslie Kielson, The New York Civil Liberties Union would like Amy Wagner and all of the Ya-Ya’s for their to thank Jamarah Harris, primary editor. The expertise, guidance and partnership. following staff members also dedicated their Thank you to Elizabeth Collins-Wildman who, time and effort to this project: Beth Haroules, as a student at Stuyvesant High School, first Donna Lieberman, Chloe Dugger, Darinka brought the issue of protecting students’ rights Maldonado, Zoe Towns, Udi Ofer, Maggie Gram, to withhold personal information from military Jennifer Carnig and Michael Cummings. Thanks recruiters to the attention of the Office of the also to the following volunteers for their help Manhattan Borough President. surveying the hundreds of students whose experiences are voiced in this report: Quinn The Borough President and the New York Civil Arntsen, Adana Austin, Sari Bernstein, Rahmel Liberties Union would like to thank Nicole Bullock, Jeffery Coffin, Gloria Dunn, Annie Phillips and Ari Rosmarin for their hard work Durston, Christine Feliciano, Barbara Harris, as lead researchers and writers of this report. Ellen Isaacs, Christine Juhasz-Wood, Debra Klaber, Mary Ann Lewis, Andrea Lyman, 2 Jim Moschella, Angela Mouzakitis, Margaret NYC United for Peace and Justice is a coalition Rapp, Claire Ruckert, Ann Salmirs, John of groups in the New York City area working to Schneider, Amy Stuart, Francine Tyler and end the war in Iraq through local grassroots Anne Wangh. Support from Adco Foundation, organizing. The coalition is affiliated with United The Fullen-Smith Foundation and New York for Peace and Justice, the largest-anti-war Foundation has made the NYCLU’s Project on coalition in the country with more than 1,400 Military Recruitment and Students’ Rights member groups nationwide. The Students or possible. Additional thanks are due to the Soldiers? Coalition’s countless volunteer hours NYCLU’s General Operating Support funders, as made possible the efficient and professional well as individual donors, family foundations and execution of an ambitious, cross-organizational members for their generosity and support. research plan. The Borough President and the NYCLU would Finally, the Borough President and the NYCLU also like to thank the Students or Soldiers? thank the New York City students, parents Coalition for its invaluable insights and and educators whose stories made this report partnership in the preparation of this report. possible. The Coalition has focused its work on advocating Cover design and layout by NYCLU intern Willa for the implementation of a New York City Tracosas. Additional design work by Department of Education system-wide policy Thea Kluge (www.theathea.com). to address military recruitment issues. The Coalition is comprised of the Ya-Ya Network (Youth Activists-Youth Allies), the New York Collective of Radical Educators (NYCoRE), New York City United For Peace and Justice (NYC UFPJ), and the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU). The Ya-Ya Network is citywide anti- racist, anti-sexist organization staffed primarily by young activists of color that works to build a stronger voice for young people in the movement for social and economic justice. Ya-Yas work year round to counter military recruitment in New York City schools. NYCoRE is a group of current and former public school educators committed to fighting for social justice in our school system and society at large. NYCoRE seeks to organize and mobilize educators to work for change both inside and outside the classroom. WE WANT YOU(TH)! Confronting Unregulated Military Recruitment in New York City Public Schools 3 Executive Summary As the United States military increases its Education’s (DOE) guidelines for protecting recruitment efforts among high school students student privacy and preventing abusive recruitment in order to meet wartime quotas, oversight of tactics in those schools. Manhattan Borough military recruitment practices in schools is President Scott Stringer and the New York critical. Despite government reports and media Civil Liberties Union—in conjunction with the investigations documenting military recruiter Students or Soldiers? Coalition—surveyed nearly misconduct vis-à-vis prospective enlistees, 1,000 students at selected schools perceived legal protections for students against coercive to be especially subject to aggressive military recruitment tactics remain weak. recruitment activities. Although the survey is by no means scientific, the results are striking: The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 grants military recruiters unprecedented • More than one in five respondents (21%) at access to public high schools and to students’ selected schools reported the use of class personal information. While NCLB does provide time by military recruiters, a violation of a modicum of protection, requiring schools to DOE guidelines. Amongst twelfth graders allow students and parents to withhold personal at selected schools, an even greater information from the military, that safeguard rests proportion—approximately one in four entirely on the efforts of local school officials and students (27%)—reported military recruiter provides no meaningful enforcement mechanism. use of class time. Inspired by this weakness in the law—and • In violation of DOE guidelines, two in five compounded by a range of related concerns about respondents (40%) at selected schools did student rights, safety, and educational integrity— not receive a military recruitment opt-out many local jurisdictions have adopted more form at the beginning of the 2006-2007 restrictive military recruitment guidelines within academic year. An additional one in three their districts. respondents (33%) was unsure if their Although United States Army statistics list New school provided them with an opt-out form at York City as a primary source for enlistment, and the start of the year. students and parents have long reported high • Nearly one in five respondents (18%) at levels of recruiter activity, the full extent of military selected schools did not believe anyone in recruitment efforts in New York City public schools their school could properly advise them of remains undocumented. This report and the survey the risks and benefits of military enlistment. that informs it examine student experiences with An additional one in three surveyed students military recruitment in schools and assess the (32%) was unsure if such a person