Resources for Teachers

Welcome teachers! Educators like you know that the No Child Left Behind Act is a slow-motion train wreck for public schools. And NCLB's Section 9528 -- releasing private information on kids to military recruiters -- is an added insult, especially if you see kids getting a hard sell on enlistment as the only route to college and jobs, often without their parents' knowledge or consent.

Fortunately, you can do something about it.

As you may know, the National Education Assocation (NEA), an organization made up of 2.7 million teachers, opposes the mandate that schools turn over private student information to military recruiters without explicit written permission from parents.

So, as a teacher, what can you do? Whether you're actively teaching, retired, in secondary school or otherwise, there are many simple actions you can take to push back against this section of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Easy Action: Ask your Superintendent the Question

Click here to print a What's Your Opt Out Policy? letter, and mail it to your superintendent!

Spread the Word on Opt Out

It's the law for districts to tell families about NCLB's military recruitment. So you are well within your rights and responsibilities to help them do so more effectively.

1. If your district has a good Opt Out form (preferably on an emergency card), print up copies and keep stacks everywhere: in classrooms, at parent meetings, community centers, and administrative offices.

2. If your district has an Opt Out form that is not satisfactory, perhaps because it is buried within a pile of other forms sent to parents OR because it unfairly penalizes students by opting them out of the school's full student directory, read and download this "Good Policies" document and let your school know that there's a better way!

3. If your district does NOT have an Opt Out form, give them a bit of a hard time, and some help. Print a general-use Opt Out letter here (also available in Spanish), and distribute.

Show Up

For many months, concerned citizens, parents, friends and families have been utilizing LeaveMyChildAlone.org to SHOW UP at school board meetings across the country. If no one has addressed this important issue with your school board, you can speak with authority as a teacher.

1. Find out when your community's next School Board meeting is, often listed on the school's web site.

2. Show up to the School Board meeting with this "Good Policies" document, an Optimum Opt-Out Resolution, and a suggested sample Emergency Card form that includes a very clear check box for parents to Opt Out their children (read this newspaper article for an example of how utilizing an Emergency Card can significantly increase Opt Out rates).

Bonus Pentagon Action

Spread the word on how to Opt Out of the Pentagon's mega-database of 16-to-25-year-olds. Click here for information.