As U.S. lawmakers debate whether to send more troops overseas in the coming months, school systems across the nation are questioning whether recruiters have a place inside schools.   

Arguments from all sides of the debate including administrators, teachers, parents, students and even lawmakers are popping up nationwide and have many worried the military is simply trying to find new recruits for its programs. At the center of the debacle is the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. The JROTC program has enabled students to learn the value of leadership and self-discipline for over half a century.

Schools opened their file drawers to military recruiters as a little publicized clause in the No Child Left Behind Act. Under the act, in section 9528, military recruiters may request pertinent information about some or all students.

“Each local educational agency receiving assistance under this Act [sic] shall provide, on a request made by military recruiters or an institution of higher education, access to secondary school students names, addresses, and telephone listings,” according to the public law policy.

Schools must notify parents and guardians if recruiters have accessed information about their student.

Another little-known clause in the NCLB Act is how parents and students can stop recruiters from obtaining personal information from the school. Parents have the option to request the school not release information for their specific student to either military recruiters or higher education facilities.

“Ultimately, it is up to the JROTC instructor’s discretion,” said Chief Warrant Officer-3 Joseph V. Mckoy Jr. “I didn’t allow recruiters in the class when I was teaching.” Mckoy said it was a distraction from the curriculum. Mckoy is a retired member of the U.S. Marine Corp.

The debate many states, including Maryland, are finding are the parents who do not believe student records should be so easily available to recruiters and others interested in the students.

 “This is a difficult question and a lot of people are divided on the issue,” said Parkville High School Parent Teacher Student Association President Suzette Gordon. “As PTSA president, I have my own personal opinions that may or may not go with the school.” Gordon has served as president for three years.   

When recruiters request to enter the schools, they are “treated no different than a regular visitor,” said Mckoy. They must sign in and out and be accountable for everything they do.

On May 15, 2008, legislators amended a law to mandate the Secretary of Defense to implement 4,000 new JROTC units throughout the country. U.S. Rep. Elijah W. Cummings, of the 7th Congressional District of Maryland, said there is a need for more representation of minorities according to a press release by U.S. Rep. Kendrick B. Meek.

Enacted January 1, 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act enabled the George W. Bush administration to set “higher standards and establish more measurable goals”, which could “improve individual outcomes in education” settings according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

The National Defense Act of 1916 established the JROTC program. The United States Armed Forces sponsored the federal program. The goal of the program is not to recruit new members for the military, but to “create productive citizens and forge mentorships in the community,” said McKoy.

Baltimore County has participated in the JROTC program for 13 years. There are currently 11 schools participating with hundreds of student cadets.