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Monday, December 12, 2005
Phone Call from the Military
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What do you think about Mary MacDonald’s story on military recruiters calling students as young as 15 and encouraging them to enlist?
Recruiters have access to the kids’ names and phone numbers courtesy of the wide-ranging No Child Left Behind Act. Parents have a right to have their child’s info withheld, but that fact is not exactly broadcasted during football games.
Should military recruiters have such easy access to teenagers? Should they talk to the student’s parents first? Should schools be required to specifically ask parents if they approve of the distribution of their child’s phone number?
(FYI: I’m out of town this week, so please, please, please keep the conversation civil and appropriate as young readers sometimes drop by… and BTW, if you’re looking for a movie to rent, try “Born Into Brothels.” Keep the Kleenex handy and don’t expect to get a good night’s sleep after watching it. A documentary filmmaker teaches photography to children in Calcutta’s red light district, but what they need more than a camera is an education.)
