U.S. military recruiters have the authority to demand that education officials turn over the names, addresses and phone numbers of high-school students under a new federal law.
President Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” law orders school bosses from New York and across the country to comply with the new edict – or risk losing federal funds.
At the beginning of the school year, parents will be given an opportunity to call school officials to “opt out” of disclosing their child’s personal information.
Access to student records is a boon to the military in urban areas, where many young men fail to register for the draft, as required by law.
The compliance rate in the Big Apple is one of the lowest among major U.S. cities, said Lewis Brodsky, a spokesman for the Selective Service. Only 49 percent of young men in New York register after turning 18.
The Selective Service had complained that until recently, it was difficult to get city officials to make recruiters welcome in their schools.
“We’re aware of the provision. It’s part of the law and we will comply,” said Board of Education spokesman Kevin Ortiz.
Critics of the draft said giving the military access to student information smacks of Big Brother.
“We’re opposed to it. It shows that the government can’t be trusted to keep any information confidential,” said George Getz, national spokesman for the Libertarian Party and the Campaign to End the Selective Service.
But U.S. Rep. John Isakson (R-Ga.) told The Post he pushed for the amendment after a school district in his area refused to provide military recruiters with information to contact students, which he found reprehensible.