Increasing Numbers of P.V. Parents Choose to Protect Student Privacy From Military

WATSONVILLE - On the fourth anniversary of the War in Iraq, statistics recently released by the Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) are showing that an increasing number of parents in the Pajaro Valley are choosing to “opt out” of having their high school child’s information released to military recruiters.

In June 2005, the former PVUSD Board of Trustees majority approved a policy to better inform parents of their right to not have their child’s information disclosed to military recruiters by placing the right to “opt out” on the student’s emergency card. The federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires public schools to release high school students’ information to military recruiters unless the parent(s) “opts out.” School districts are also required to inform parents of their right to not have their child’s information disclosed to military recruiters, which includes the students’ names, address, gender, age, ethnicity, Social Security numbers, academic achievement data and e-mail addresses.

The previous information given to PVUSD parents and students by the school district was being buried with dozens of other documents distributed at the beginning of the school year. As a result, numerous Pajaro Valley parents, students, teachers and community members requested that the information be placed on the emergency cards to better inform parents.

At the time, the Los Angeles Times documented that military recruitment goals were coming up short each year, and how military recruiters’ were utilizing overly aggressive and unauthorized tactics especially in schools with predominately minority students. Even the National PTA endorsed a federal bill (“the Student Privacy Protection Act” – former HR 551, 109th Congress) by San Jose Congressman Mike Honda to provide greater privacy protection for students from military recruiters. The National PTA stated, “the right to disclose personal information of minors should remain solely with their parents.''

Since enacting the emergency card policy, huge numbers of PV parents have chose to exercise their right to protect their child’s information from military recruiters. Numerous other districts have already enacted similar policies. Last year, Assemblywoman Sally Lieber (D-Mountain View) carried a bill to make the PVUSD policy a statewide requirement through Assembly Bill 1778 (“The Student and Family Privacy Protection Act of 2006”). Although the bill won the support of the State Assembly and Senate, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill last September.

At Aptos High School, the numbers of parents who chose to “opt out” from releasing their child’s information spiked from 16 percent in the 2003-04 school year to 67 percent in only two years after the emergency card policy was approved. At Watsonville High School, the number of parents who also chose to “opt out” skyrocketed from 4 percent in 2003-04 school year to 66 percent two years later.

“The Watsonville and Aptos High cases clearly demonstrate that when parents are better informed of their rights, they will choose to exercise them,” said Luis Alejo, a local public interest attorney and director of the Student Empowerment Project. “Parents are saying loud and clear that they do not want their child’s information released to military recruiters.”

Most other PVUSD high schools are also showing increased numbers of parents choosing to not disclose their child’s information to military recruiters. At Pacific Coast Charter School, 91 percent of parents opted out this school year. At the Academic/Vocational Charter Institute, 57 percent of parents opted out this school year. At the New School, the latest data was unavailable, but during the previous year in 2005-06, 100 percent of the parents of 116 students opted out. At Renaissance High School, 35 percent of parents opted out in 2006-05, which is an increase from 29 percent in 2005-06.

The only PVUSD high school that showed a decrease was Pajaro Valley High School where only 28 percent of parents opted out during the 2006-07 school year compared to 56 percent during the previous year in 2005-06.

“The data of PV High is disturbing and school officials should better ensure that parents are getting the right information. More outreach must be done to better inform the parents and students about rights,” said Alejo.