There is a brewing controversy in Worcester centering around whether or not high school students should give U.S. Military recruiters their personal contact information. Brianne Mallaghan has more.

WORCESTER— A local coalition’s attempts to persuade more high school students to withhold their contact information from military recruiters has spurred a Westboro man to fund a competing contest.

Edward F. Behn of Westboro, whose oldest son is a U.S. Marine serving in Iraq, has offered to donate $2,500 to the Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust in honor of the Worcester high school senior class with the lowest percentage of students who “opt out” of allowing information about themselves to be provided to recruiters.

But how long will the country remain great, when young people, instead of being given an opportunity to discuss and debate issues such as the role of the military, the just-war theory and pacifism, are being told that the freedom and rights that they now enjoy can be bought for $250.

I’m not sure what “freedom and rights” are being bought here. But read the article for yourself.

The campaign aims to make high school students aware that they can “opt out” of having their school send their personal information to military recruiters.

On October 4, we announced our “Opt Out Contest,” offering a $250 cash prize to the Worcester Junior or Senior class with the highest percentage of students requesting to “opt out” prior to the November 15th contest deadline. That’s right, $250 for your class when you stand-up in favor of students’ rights.

Building on the efforts of several student and privacy groups that sought to raise awareness last year, this year’s effort is an attempt to capture significant attention on behalf of protecting students’ privacy. Across the country students, parents, privacy advocates and others are saying “No” to the loss of privacy high school students face when their personal information is given without their consent to military recruiters.

Any student or group at one of Worcester’s five high schools (North, South, Burncoat, Doherty, and Voke) may register their class for this educational competition.

If you’re interested in registering your class, download the Worcester Opts Out contest packet (PDF) which includes contest guidelines, posters, and an opt-out form. Educate your classmates about the importance of privacy protection, and encourage them to sign and turn in an opt out letter instructing your school principal to withold your name, address, and phone numbers from prying eyes.

In 2005, Leciester High School’s Senior class led area schools with 73% of students opting out. Protect your rights, protect your privacy; join students across the Commonwealth and country who are saying “No!”

For more information, contact optout.admin@gmail.com.

WORCESTER— The number of Worcester high school students who withhold their contact information from military recruiters has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years, an increase that roughly coincides with when the school started sending parents an opt-out letter.

[…]

The percentage of Worcester high school seniors who opted out this year ranges from 41.4 percent at Burncoat High School to 13.9 percent at South, but an education specialist for the Army recruiting battalion that includes Worcester recently estimated that as many as 50 percent of high school students in the region choose not to release their information.

West Boylston High School was unable to provide a copy of notification given to parents. It was “in the school paper (Lions Roar) that goes home to parents.

West Boylston High School Opt Out Report (pdf)

Shrewsbury High School includes notice of NCLB requirements in a “a newsletter sent to each student”.
The notice fails to provide a deadline for submitting opt out requests. The notice does clearly state that students are able to opt out themselves.

Shrewsbury High School does not provide a form for parents or students to use.

Shrewsbury High School Opt Out Report (pdf)

North Brookfield H.S. distributes a copy of Sec. 7908 of NCLB and uses a form which they state “should be given to students in school as well as being provided to parents”
It is unclear how this form is distributed, and if students/parents are required to opt out yearly or not.

N.B.H.S. correctly informs students that they have a right to opt out themselves.
N.B.H.S. goes one step further in their letter, encouraging “parents and students to discuss” the opt out provisions.

North Brookfield High School Opt Out Report (pdf)

Quabbin Regional High School includes a brief notice in the student handbook and in newsletter sent home to students and parents.
Notice does not include required deadline. It is unclear if students/parents must submit a yearly request.

Although all principals were offered final copies of NCLB research, Principal Audette at Quabbin was the only principal that expressed an interest receiving a copy.

Q.R.H.S. does not provide a simple form or sign-off to allow students/parents to opt out.
Q.R.H.S. correctly inform students that they have a right to opt themselves out.

Quabbin Regional High School hosts an NJROTC that dates back to 1967, and which is probably the most active JROTC program in the area.

Quabbin actively allows the military into the school beyond the NJROTC program. Recently, on February 6, 2006, Mathew Kolesnik, a 2001 graduate of Quabbin High School former NJROTC cadet, was commissioned into the U.S. Army during a ceremony at the high school.

Quabbin Regional High School Opt Out Report (pdf)