To fight for America is an act to be applauded and admired--as long as it is done willingly. Military recruiters invade privacy by gaining personal information from schools for recruiting purposes, and by harrassing stduents during the school day--nullifying some of the admirability of defending America when the military promotes such acts. The military must learn to respect the privacy of students and families.
The presence of military recruiters in schools is disruptive and defies the purpose of attending school, which is to get an education. Some would argue that military recruiters promoting during the school day is beneficial and helps students realize opportunities following school. But if students are interested in joining the military after graduating from high school or when they are of an eligible age, the students have very easy access to information outside of school.
While fighting for America is an act to be proud of, it is not right for the military to visit schools during the school day because not every student is interested in joining the military, and therefore the recruiters' presence becomes superfluous. As a billboard read advertising for the Navy (or Air Force or Army, depending on location), "We don't take applications, only commitments." A greater commitment can be found outside of schoo, especially when students are hardly mature enough to make life-altering decisions. As American citizens, the military should respect the wishes of privacy and students' interest in getting an education for the citizens the military defends.
Receiving information from the military regarding recruiting is an annoyance and should be considered an invasion of privacy. (Unfortunately, under No Child Left Behind, recruiters have the right to demand personal information.) It is not right for schools to release personal information to the military for recruiting purposes. The personal information originally acquired by schools was given with the intent that it would be used for educational purposes, not to promote recruiting. While it is optional not to give the military access by turning in an opt-out form, awareness of this form by the general public is dismal. The quandary of the military receiving information should not be an issue.
Despite arguments against removing the presence of military recruiters in schools or schools ceasing to release information to the military for recruiting purposes, those arguments are less important than the military learning to respect the privacy of American students and cease to disrupt the educational process.
As published in a blog called "The Lede" in the New York Times, military recruiters have overstepped many boundaries in the classroom. Many students polled--up to one out of four 12th graders--reported that military recruiters used class time to promote joining the military. The blog also reported statistics about awareness of the opt-out form (incredibly disappointing), and the general disturbance of recruiters. Unfortunately, military recruiters have become a nuisance everywhere, not just in Louisville or New York. Action should be taken to prevent such disturbances--so that the future leaders of America may continue their education in peace.
At my school the military recruiters come during lunch but they are very adament on getting your attention when your there. It can be quite agitating at times but I dont really have a huge problem with it.
Military recruiters are indeed agitating, especially with hailing students from all directions. It creates huge problems with the flow of traffic at my school, and I have learned to despise getting within 20 feet of their display because of how much noise their Power Point presentations make. Mostly, I despise how class time is wasted for military recruiting, and the fact that I don't agree with the war reaffirms my opinion that military recruiters don't belong in school.