As of September 2005, the St. Johns County School District has abided by the law, and Military Opt Out forms are available in the Guidance Counselor’s Office at the following high schools: St. Augustine, Pedro Menendez, Nease, and Bartram Trail. The form is also available on the SJCSD website at www.stjohns.k12.fl.us. According to a St. Johns County School District employees in the Student Services Office, the military requested student information in early September, and when the military requests the student list, the school district must comply. Does this mean that student information was forwarded to the military in early September? I certainly hope not, since the completed St. Johns County Military opt Out forms had not yet been submitted to the school district. Another SJCSD Student Services employee assured me on October 4, 2005 that although the military requested student information in September, he did not release information because he wanted to make certain that the new SJCSD computer system , the Student Information System, was in order. He also declined to release the information to the military until he had received a list of Opt Out students from each high school. It is the initial responsibility of the computer operator at each high school to enter a student’ s Opt Out information into the central computer base. Once the Student Services Office receives each Opt Out list, duplicate check system is operated that verifies what is being entered into the SIS. In addition, the aforementioned Student Services employee intends to update the student list quarterly.

Therefore, if a student and/or parent submits an opt out form during the remainder of the school year, the student’s m\name may still be removed fro the list that is destined for the military. Student information will have already been forwarded to the military after the nation wide September 30th Opt Out deadline, but don’t be discouraged. Removing your name from the list is still possible. If Student Services is correct, you may still have your information removed from the list prior to the next quarterly update.

If you have not yet completed a military Opt out form, and if you desire to Opt Out, you may still submit a form.

In St. Johns County, the military generally requests student information twice year, in September and October, but requests may vary. So far, the military has requested information about high school junior and seniors. If you are not yet a Junior or a Senior, you should still Opt Out. It is better to continue to remove your name from the list as early in your school career as possible especially since military recruiters are growing increasingly aggressive with their recruiting tactics. [please see the list of figures below] due to the fact that it is a student’s legal right to Opt Out if s/he desires, the Opt Out form should be included in the student handbook that is distributed to everyone at the beginning of the school year. unfortunately, it isn’t. Perhaps the Opt Out form will be included next year in the student handbook, especially since a new form must be completed each year. Remember to complete and submit your Opt Out form at the beginning of each year!!!

There are approximately 3,500 high school Junior and Seniors in St. Johns County. The SJCSD has received about 200 completed opt out forms at this time: about 100 of these forms were from Junior or Seniors. Although my daughter and I submitted a form, she recently received recruiting information from the navy. another parent I spoke to experienced a similar problem. If you are contacted by the military after having submitted an Opt Out form, call the SJCSD at 819-7500. Request to speak to the Student Services office or Superintendent Joyner and demand that your name be removed from the list that is forwarded to the military. Remember: if you have submitted your Opt Out form prior to October 1st 2005 and you are contacted by the military, contact the SJCSD immediately! Furthermore, if you have ANY questions in regard to the Military Opt Out form, feel free to contact the SJCSD (remember: they work for you). Ask your school and school district about their procedure. What will be done with your form? Who is notified? Where does your information go? Better yet, where will your information NOT go? It is your legal right to Opt Out, and your school and school district must abide by the law and respect your decision to do so.

September was national military Opt Out month, and members of People for Peace and Justice of St. Augustine distributed Opt Out forms to students and parents throughout St. Johns County.

PPJ members received an overall enthusiastic response except for a few students at Pedro Menendez High School who, after taking the forms, tore them up and threw them on the ground. Many parents throughout the county were shocked and outraged to learn that their child’s information is automatically sent to the military unless the school district is informed otherwise. Parents also regarded this automatic forwarding of their child’s information to the military a breach of privacy, and asked why they had not been informed about their Opt Out rights years ago. I suppose that ought to be a question for the school district. Student’s personal information has been forwarded to the military and military recruiters for decades, but Section 9528 of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 made this process mandatory.

Of the four high schools in St. Johns County, St. Augustine High implemented the most thorough approach to inform students and parents of their Opt Out rights. New students automatically received a red Opt Out form, and on September 22 (during third period), forms were distributed to students in their classrooms. Opt Out information was included in the September school news letter and, at the suggestion of SAHS Seniors, students broadcasted Opt Out information in a news video on September 20th. Pedro Menendez informed parents and students about opting out in a school news letter. Nease made an announcement to students over the intercom that told them about the opt out form and their rights. Bartram Trail made Opt Out announcements over the intercom, on the school’s daily news screen, and on the school website prior to the end of September.

Student information is also forwarded to the military through the SAT and the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, administered to high school Junior and Seniors, as another military recruiting technique). Nine students at Fremont High School in South Central Los Angeles were suspended when they refused to take the ASVAB. The students were reinstated however, because the ASVAB is not mandatory.* If the ASVAB is to be administered at your school, remember: the ASVAB is a voluntary exam, you may decline to take it! You may learn more about recruiting in schools by picking up a free pamphlet called "What Families Need to Know About Recruiting in High Schools and Colleges" at several local locations including: Backstreets, Loose Screws, Mystic Bean, Blue Planet Organic, and Azalea Cafe. Included in the pamphlet, along with an Opt Out form, is a list of "Ten Points to Consider Before Signing a Military Enlistment Agreement," a must-read if you are still interested in joining the military. On the third Saturday of every month, from 10 am to Noon, members of People for Peace and Justice invite anyone that is opposed to the war in Iraq to join them in a protest at the Bridge of Lions. Military Opt Out forms are available during each monthly protest.

Below are recent figures pertaining to the U.S. military and their recruiters:

(* Compiled from "Military Recruiters are Now Targeting Sixth Graders. Who’s Next?" by Karen Houppert, "The Nation," September 12th, 2005.)