Educators Weigh Selling Names to Military Recruiters

Officials of the ABC Unified School District are reviewing their policy of selling students’ names, addresses and telephone numbers to military recruiters.

The district decided to examine its policy in the wake of the war with Iraq and confusion among some administrators over the policy, said Ira Toibin, assistant superintendent.

“An assistant principal recently received a request to supply names and he did not know what he was supposed to do,” Toibin said.

The district has charged $50 for the list of names, addresses and phone numbers. The information on individual students is released to military and college recruiters, as well as potential employers only after parents have given their consent.

Toibin said it could take about a month to develop a comprehensive policy, which then would be considered by the school board. In the interim, military recruiters’ requests for student information will be forwarded to Supt. Larry Lucas for a decision, Toibin said. “The superintendent doesn’t want to exclude the military,” Toibin said.

Marine Corps recruiting officer Master Sgt. James Smith said any restrictions “would make our job difficult. It would prolong our effort, but we would still be able to do the job.”

Smith said recruiters are allowed on campuses during career days and can respond to requests from individual students and administrators. Smith recruits in the Southeast area, which includes the ABC school district. The district serves the cities of Cerritos, Artesia, Hawaiian Gardens and parts of Lakewood.

He said about 60 students from the area sign up for the Marines each year.

Other school districts in the area have a variety of policies for responding to military recruiters’ requests for student information. Some districts provide the names and addresses of graduating seniors, while others provide the names of juniors and seniors. Most districts do not provide students’ telephone numbers.

Officials in three districts--Montebello, Lynwood and Compton--say they generally refuse recruiters’ requests because they want to protect the privacy of students. But recruiters are allowed to visit the high school campuses, officials said. The Lynwood and Compton districts also have junior reserve officer training programs.

In Montebello, each request is sent to the Board of Education, which usually rejects it, said Assistant Supt. Darline Robles. “The board wants to protect the privacy of our students,” said Robles, who pointed out that districts have the discretion under state law to decide whether to release certain records.

Montebello and Compton release student names to college recruiters, but Lynwood does not. Lynwood officials allow college recruiters to contact students on the high school campuses.

The Whittier Union High School District provides a list of high school graduates to the military for $50, but does not give out phone numbers, said Ann Inlay, pupil personnel director.

The Long Beach, Bellflower, Downey, Norwalk-La Mirada and Paramount districts also provide names and addresses, but no phone numbers. “If recruiters want to get in touch with the students, they can send them a letter,” Paramount Supt. Richard Caldwell said.

In Downey, however, graduating seniors have the option of removing their names from the lists, said Sara Cairns, assistant principal at Downey High School.

The Los Angeles Unified School District, which serves several Southeast cities, Tuesday passed a measure to stop selling lists of names, addresses and home phone numbers of students to the military and nonprofit groups.

The board’s decision, which took effect immediately, was prompted by war fears, said board President Jackie Goldberg. But the action also halts the sale of lists to all groups, including colleges, universities and trade schools.

Several board members, including Goldberg, Warren Furutani and Rita Walters expressed concern over the practice of selling student lists. Furutani likened it to “selling bounties.”

Goldberg said she had received angry calls from parents complaining that recruiters harass students.

The district serves the Southeast cities of Bell, Cudahy, Huntington Park, Maywood and South Gate.

Earlier this month, the Oakland Unified School District’s board also decided to halt the sale of student lists to the military. Parents had complained about recruiters’ repeated phone calls and letters to students. The district had sold lists for $150.

“Parents were concerned about an invasion of privacy. They were also opposed to providing recruits to the military during the Persian Gulf crisis,” said Sherri Willis, public information officer for the Oakland district.

School districts generally have provided student lists to the military since the draft was abolished in 1973, said Susan Lange, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Education.

Assemblyman Willard H. Murray Jr. (D-Paramount) said he hopes school districts will continue to follow this policy.

“The military is a potential employer. I think it is a wonderful opportunity,” said Murray, whose district covers Compton, Bellflower, Paramount, Lakewood and Long Beach.