“We’re seeing an increasing trend with schools shutting us out from access or making access pretty restricted,” Batschelet said. “Schools are either choosing not to administer the ASVAB or withholding results from recruiters.”
We appreciate the recruiting chief’s honesty, but he is drawing incorrect conclusions to explain the test’s unpopularity. “There are unintended consequences, Batschelet explained, “because we think it is indirectly sending the signal that service to the country in the military is not an honorable profession or something to which you should aspire.”
Sorry, general. It’s privacy! Parents feel they should make decisions regarding releasing their children’s personal information—not your recruiting command.
The National Coalition to Protect Student Privacy works to prohibit the automatic release of student information to military recruiting services gathered through the administration of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) Career Exploration Program in high schools across the country. The organization works to safeguard student privacy from the Pentagon's predatory recruitment practices. We also provide legal resources and all Maryland forms.
Family Law Documents
A Maryland separation agreement allows a married couple to formalize the terms of their separation without officially divorcing. This document typically covers financial arrangements, child custody, and property division, providing clarity and legal standing during the separation period.
The Maryland divorce settlement agreement is instrumental in finalizing a divorce by outlining how assets, debts, child support, and alimony will be handled. This legally binding document helps ensure both parties adhere to the agreed terms following the dissolution of their marriage.
Healthcare and Living Wills
The do not resuscitate form in Maryland specifies an individual's wish not to undergo CPR or advanced life support if their heart stops or they stop breathing. This form must be signed by both the patient and their healthcare provider to be valid.
A living will in Maryland details a person’s preferences regarding medical treatments and interventions in end-of-life situations. It ensures that healthcare providers and family members follow the individual's wishes when the individual is no longer able to communicate their decisions.
The medical power of attorney in Maryland allows a designated agent to make healthcare decisions on the grantor's behalf (if the grantor becomes incapacitated). This document ensures that medical actions are taken according to the patient’s wishes and best interests.
Real Estate and Property Transactions
The Maryland lease agreement outlines the terms under which one party agrees to rent property to another, specifying details such as rent amount, lease duration, and the responsibilities and rights of both the landlord and tenant.
An eviction notice in Maryland is a formal notice given by landlords to tenants indicating a breach of lease terms, such as failure to pay rent or causing damage to the property. This document is a legal precursor to eviction proceedings if the tenant does not remedy the breach within a given timeframe.
The quit claim deed form in Maryland transfers property ownership quickly and without warranty, typically between family members or to clear up title issues. It is a straightforward document that conveys the owner's interest in the property without any guarantees against other claims.
Vehicle and Boat Sales
The Maryland vehicle bill of sale is a document that records the details of a vehicle transaction between a buyer and seller, including information like the vehicle's make, model, and VIN, as well as the purchase price. This document is essential for the legal transfer of ownership and is often required for vehicle registration.
The Maryland trailer bill of sale is required when selling or buying a trailer in the state. It details the transaction, the trailer’s make, model, serial number, and the agreed-upon sale price. This document is crucial for legal registration and proves the transfer of ownership from the seller to the buyer, ensuring all state requirements are met.
Similarly, the Maryland boat bill of sale is used for recording essential information such as the boat’s make, model, year, hull identification number, and purchase price. This document serves as proof of the transaction and is required by the state for the registration and titling of the boat.
Estate Planning Documents
The living will in Maryland is an essential document that allows individuals to express their preferences for medical treatments and interventions in end-of-life situations. It guides healthcare providers and family members on how to proceed with medical care when the individual can no longer communicate their own decisions.
Conversely, the last will and testament in Maryland serves a broader scope by detailing how a person's assets should be distributed upon their death. It also appoints an executor to manage the estate and ensure that the decedent's final wishes are executed accurately and efficiently. This document can also specify guardians for minor children and make charitable bequests.
A transfer on death deed in Maryland allows property owners to name a beneficiary who will inherit their real estate upon their death, bypassing the probate process. This deed can be a strategic part of estate planning, providing a smooth transition of property ownership to the designated heir.
The Maryland durable power of attorney grants a chosen agent the authority to manage a range of financial and legal matters on behalf of the principal. Importantly, it remains effective even if the principal becomes incapacitated.
Recruiting & Testing in Parochial Schools
Summer is the season for high school football practice. Two years ago, the players at Central Catholic High School in Portland, Ore., got a different kind of coaching. For the first time, U.S. Army recruiters volunteered to run Central Catholics' Rams through their strength and conditioning paces—helping them prepare for the annual "Holy War" match-up against arch-rival Jesuit High School.
According to an article in the Recruiter Journal (the monthly magazine for Army recruiting), the Army "footprint" for the big game included a Humvee parked outside the stadium and a pre-kickoff event in which local recruiters placed "unit patch decals from various Army divisions" onto players' helmets.
"Not once at practice did we talk about the Army," said one of the recruiters. "It wasn't about the Army; it was about how we can integrate ourselves into the community in a way the community will accept us and not feel like we are a threat." In 2014, one of Central Catholic's standout players was selected to participate in the annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl. This national football showcase has been described as the "crown jewel" in Army marketing strategy and a "springboard to bolster recruiting efforts." Each year, a different coach is selected to lead the squad of the nation's top high school players, and in 2013 the squad was led by a man who by then was quite well known in Army recruiting circles: Central Catholic's football coach, Steve Pyne.
In recent years, the Pentagon's military recruiting capabilities have experienced a quantum leap—including unprecedented access to Christian schools.
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized."
An illegal search occurs when an expectation of privacy that society considers reasonable is infringed by a governmental employee or an agent of the government.
Child Soldiers International is concerned by a range of American recruitment policies and practices that undermine the safeguards contained in article 3.3 of OPAC, in particular with regards to the voluntary nature of underage recruitment, the right to privacy of children, and the requirement of prior consent of parents (or legal guardians). Child Soldiers International is also concerned by the U.S. military's extensive access to schools and students' information, which suggests that the U.S. government is pursuing the active recruitment of under-18s.
New Hampshire Passes
ASVAB Option 8 Law
We're delighted to report that New Hampshire has become the third state to mandate the versatile selection of ASVAB Release Option 8 for all public high school students who take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Governor Maggie Hassan (D) signed the measure into law on July 14, 2014.
Requiring the test to be given under Release Option 8 prohibits the general release of 3 hours of test results, detailed demographic information, and social security numbers to military recruiting services without parents' consent.
Under the law, which immediately takes effect, schools that allow the military to proctor the test must notify the military representative, parents, and students that Option 8 has been selected. A student (over 18) or a student's parent or guardian may choose to release the student's personal information and ASVAB scores to military recruiters by individually submitting the required forms to the military services authorizing the release of the information.
Before the legislation, a child could attend a New Hampshire high school, take the military entrance exam proctored by Department of Defense employees, and have all the information sent to military recruiters without parents knowing. ASVAB results were the only information leaving the state's schools about children without requiring parental consent.
The common-sense legislation sailed through House (18-0) and Senate (5-0) Committees before being passed by consent.
Pentagon Data on Student Testing Program Rife with Errors and Contradictions
Student Privacy Compromised by Massive Program
In late December 2013, the Department of Defense released a database on the military's controversial Student Testing Program in 11,700 high schools nationwide. Examining the complex and contradictory dataset raises serious issues regarding student privacy and the integrity of the Student Testing Program in America's schools.
The database was released after a protracted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
Best Practices for ASVAB-CEP Administration
This new report from Rutgers Law School on using the military's aptitude test (the ASVAB) in high schools makes a compelling case that high school counselors have legal and professional responsibilities to ensure that student test information is not automatically released to military recruiters. Download and share it widely, especially with local school counselors, principals, and district officials.
Mandatory military testing is standard in American high schools.
The ASVAB is the military's entrance exam given to fresh recruits to determine their aptitude for various military occupations. The test is also a recruiting tool in 11,700 high schools nationwide. The 4-hour test is used by military recruiting services to gain sensitive, personal information on more than 660,000 high school students nationwide annually, the vast majority of whom are under 18. Students typically are given the test at school without parental knowledge or consent. The school-based ASVAB Career Exploration Program is among the military's most effective recruiting tools.
THE ASVAB CAMPAIGN
The National Coalition to Protect Student Privacy has been working to educate and convince school officials.
The Colonel vs. The PTA
The debate in Maryland's General Assembly over the passage of the Option 8 legislation is best understood by examining the testimony of Lt. Col. Christopher Beveridge, Commander, 12th Battalion, U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command, the state's top military recruiter, and Ms. Merry Eisner, President of the Maryland Parent Teacher Association. Lt. Col. Beveridge opposed the universal selection of Option 8, arguing that the military, not parents, should ultimately decide on releasing student information gathered through the administration of the ASVAB. Ms. Eisner testified that parents should make these decisions. The legislation was carried out. | Lt. Col Beveridge's Letter
About half of the states have enacted legislation protecting student privacy in the last year. Meanwhile, President Obama has called for a Student Digital Privacy Act, saying, "Data collected on students in the classroom should only be used for educational purposes — to teach our children, not to market to our children."
Most of the new laws and the president's proposal have omitted the nation's most egregious violation of student privacy. It is the Department of Defense's administration of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) to more than 650,000 children in 12,000 high schools and the retention of demographic information, social security numbers, and 3 hours of test results for recruiting purposes without parental consent.
We want President Obama's legislation to include tighter reins on the Pentagon's data collection in the nation's schools.
State-by-State Snapshot
of ASVAB Testing
This spreadsheet, with statistics from all 50 states and territories, was compiled using data released by the Freedom of Information Office of the Secretary of Defense in December of 2013.
The database includes the name and location of 11,700 schools administering the test, the most current test date, the total of those who took the test, a breakdown by grade, and the release option chosen.
The database was released after a protracted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. It is full of inaccuracies, omissions, and contradictions.
The American Public Health Association calls for the cessation of ASVAB testing for recruiting purposes.
Nothing in the recruiters manual advises recruiters to reveal the risks their prospects face, neither the physical hazards on the battlefield nor the psychological trauma and its aftereffects." More
U.N. calls on the U.S. to stop mandatory military testing
In early 2013, The U.N.'s Committee on the Rights of the Child called on the Obama Administration to "Ensure that schools, parents and pupils are made aware of the voluntary nature of the ASVAB before consenting to the participation in it." See the Concluding observations on the Second Report of the United States of America, adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child at its sixty-second session (14 January–5 2013) regarding the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict See Concluding Observations IV 21 (c)
We thought it was pretty big news, so we sent press releases to several hundred mainstream American publications, and no one picked it up. In short, the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child feels the U.S. is violating its international treaty obligations because it uses the ASVAB to recruit American youth without parent knowledge or consent. It's disgusting.
The New York Civil Liberties Union—Project on Military Recruitment and Students' Rights gives students, families, and educators. It advocates the tools to defend their rights against overly-aggressive military recruiting in schools.
Links
The National Lawyers Guild works to maintain and protect our civil rights and liberties in the face of persistent attacks. This may be the place to start if you need a lawyer to safeguard your rights.
Project YANO (Project on Youth and Non-Military Opportunities) is the nation's premier source for reliable information about the military's presence in the nation's schools.
The Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft has a fantastic archive of articles dating back to May of 2000 that documents militarism in American society with a focus on the schools.
The Center on Conscience & War works to extend and defend the rights of conscientious objectors. CCW supports all those who oppose their participation in the war, including US military members who, following a crisis of conscience, seek discharge as conscientious objectors.
GI Rights Hotline is a network of organizations that provide information to service members about military discharges, complaint procedures, and other civil rights.
NNOMY (National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth) is a national networking body that brings together national, regional, and local organizations to oppose the growing military intrusion in young people's lives.
The American Friends Service Committee has been involved in counter-recruitment work for a long time. Their Peace Education program aims to limit the influence of military recruiters on middle and high school kids.
Board of Directors
Dr. Kathy Barker
Washington Truth in Recruiting
Seattle, Washington
Medea Benjamin
Co-founder
Code Pink, Women for Peace
Washington, DC
Dr. Don Chapin
Oregon Coalition to
Protect Student Privacy
Talent, Oregon
Barbara Harris
New York Coalition to
Protect Student Privacy
Dr. Pat Salomon
Monterey, Massachusetts
David Swanson,
Author, Activist, Blogger
Charlottesville, VA
Sue Udry
Executive Director
Defending Dissent Foundation
Washington, DC
Ann Wilcox
National Lawyers Guild
Washington, DC
Diane Wood
Peaceful Vocations
Fort Worth, Texas
Col. (ret.) Ann Wright
Washington, DC