Latinos Urged to Opt Out of Military Recruitment in Schools

Groups say many unaware of rights under NCLB law.

Activists opposed to military recruitment in public schools are reaching out to Spanish-speaking parents to make sure they know they can tell school officials not to provide their children’s contact information to recruiters.

The activists say immigrant parents often are unaware of their rights under a provision in the federal No Child Left Behind Act that says school districts must turn over to military recruiters students’ names, addresses, and phone numbers unless their parents have signed an opt-out form at the beginning of the school year.

In addition, they say, immigrant parents often don’t know that recruiters can obtain students’ contact information and other personal data if the students take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, an academic and occupational skills test provided free to schools by the...