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Hello Friends, A bill will/was probably be passed by the house that will ensure
that military recruiters have the same access to students as businesses and colleges.
The first version of the bill would have denied federal funds to schools that restricted
military access to its students. The article does not clearly state what the consequences
are for schools that do not provide the proposed mandated access. R.E.
Military recruiters may get access to high
schoolers
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A measure giving military recruiters the same access to high school
campuses as college and business recruiters will likely be approved by congressional
lawmakers Tuesday, sources familiar with the legislation said.
The Pentagon estimated last year that about 2,000 public high schools have policies
that bar military recruiters, hampering their efforts. In 2000, all military services
except the Marine Corps failed to meet their recruiting goals.
"It's in everyone's interest to ensure that young people receive information,
including military options, so they can make an informed choice about their future,"
Bill Carr, the Defense Department's chief director for personnel policy, said Monday.
Congress has been working on an overhaul of federal education policies since last
winter. The bipartisan congressional conference committee is working out differences
in versions approved by the House and the Senate; lawmakers hope to present President
Bush with a finished bill by the end of the year.
Several sources familiar with negotiations on the education bill said the September
11 terrorist attacks made it much more likely that Congress will approve the military
recruitment measure.
According to the Senate Armed Services Committee, in 1999 there were 4,515 instances
in which high schools denied access to Army recruiters, 4,364 instances for the Navy;
4,884 for the Marine Corps; and 5,465 for the Air Force.
The Portland, Oregon, school board last May loosened a military recruiting ban that
had been prompted by the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward
gays. The board decided that teachers and counselors can refer students to recruiters
off-campus only if students are told that the military prohibits homosexuals who
disclose or act on their orientation.
The measure, introduced in the Senate by Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Arkansas, and in
the House by Rep. David Vitter, R-Louisiana, originally would have stripped federal
funds from schools that bar military recruiters. A compromise measure required only
that schools give the military equal access to campuses and student information lists.
A national group representing school board members said it opposes the measure on
principle, but didn't fight it after the funding provision was cut.
"We believe it is still a local school district responsibility, and think that's
where giving the authority or denying access should rest," said Reginald Felton
of the National School Boards Association.
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