NYCLU Demands That Military Produce Information About Student Recruitment Tactics And Abuses In High Schools

Concerned about student privacy and abusive practices by military recruiters, the New York Civil Liberties Union today demanded that high-level military officials produce information about recruiter policies and practices and about how students and parents can file complaints against recruiters. The demands came in the form of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to each of the military branches and in the form of letters requesting information from the head recruiters of each military branch.

“We are deeply concerned about the privacy rights of students and troubled by reports of abusive practices by military recruiters,” said Donna Lieberman, Executive Director of the NYCLU. “The requests we made today mark the launch of a campaign to protect students against abusive military recruitment tactics and violations of their privacy rights.”

The FOIA requests demand information about the tactics and conduct of military recruiters, the criteria by which recruiters target students, the information they give to students about military careers, and complaints filed by students and their families. The letters to the recruiting commands of all four military branches ask what if any mechanisms they have in place to deal with complaints and to protect student privacy.

“We hope that these requests will elicit more information about the methods and goals of military recruiters and what students, parents, and teachers can do when they don’t behave appropriately,” said Jeff Fogel, NYCLU Attorney.

The NYCLU expects to begin amassing information and monitoring the conduct of recruiters throughout the coming school year.