Despite appeals court decisions that make it clear that schools must allow counter-recruiters in if they allow military recruiters, the Keene school board decided not to allow veterans to set up a counter-recruiting table at Keene high school. Their excuse is that representatives from colleges and workplaces are able to also reach out to students and therefore they are exposed to other post-high-school options. Of course, none of those other people will be providing information specifically counter to the lies and misinformation given by the recruiters. Also, it’s worth noting that the recruiters are there several times per year, and other viewpoints either not allowed at all, or barely. See the entire interaction between me and the school board from the clip below, courtesy of Cheshire TV. After the video, you’ll find the Keene Sentinel’s report on the meeting which focused primarily on the counter-recruiting situation. Thanks to Sentinel reporter Kaitlin Mulhere for the excellent article.
The next step in this saga will be taken by NH Peace Action, as they will be reaching out to the NHCLU regarding suing the school board to allow veterans to be on-campus as often as the military recruiters. Stay tuned here for the latest.
Keene school board says no to anti-military effort, toughens rules for student athletes
By Kaitlin Mulhere Sentinel Staff | 5 comments
School district officials shot down the idea of allowing anti-military recruiting representatives on Keene High School’s campus.
Through career and college recruiters, high school students already learn about alternatives to military service, the Keene Board of Education said Tuesday.
The board also passed a new policy to raise the academic bar for student athletic eligibility at its Tuesday meeting.
The board took up the anti-military recruiting issue after Ian Freeman, part of the Free Keene group, asked school board members at a June meeting to allow counter recruiters who are skeptical about the value of joining the military to come onto Keene High’s campus.
Freeman said at that meeting if the school allows one interest group to come on campus to recruit students, then it should allow other groups with alternative views to do the same.
Last month the board agreed to have the district’s attorney, John D. Wrigley, look over the issue.
On Tuesday, Freeman said he wanted to bring military veterans into the high school to talk about the realities of war. The recruiters that are currently in high schools are little more than military salespeople, he said.
Superintendent Wayne E. Woolridge read a statement from Wrigley, saying that while laws establish a duty for school districts to allow recruitment for the military, it is optional for a school board to allow counter recruiters.
In 2001, parts of the federal No Child Left Behind law mandated that schools give military recruiters the same access to students that they give to college and career recruiters. The law also mandates that schools provide student contact information, unless students or parents opt out.
Board members said Tuesday that information from colleges, technical schools, groups like Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, and businesses, as well as the military, allow students to learn about all the options they have after graduation.
Yet Freeman said students don’t receive balanced recruiting from all those groups.
He asked the board how often military recruiters are on campus and how many career days the school holds.
Assistant Superintendent William B. Gurney answered that military recruiters are on campus about six times a year. This year the school did not host a career day, but there was a career day the prior year, Gurney said.
Board Chairman Christopher C. Coates said the school also has clubs, including Students for Peace and Students for a Free Tibet, that offer students outlets to express themselves.
In the past several years, the counter recruiting issue has come up at school board meetings across the nation. Some districts, particularly those on the West Coast, such as Seattle, San Francisco and Portland, have passed policies to give all recruiters equal access to students.
In New Hampshire, the Manchester School District has received several requests over the years from New Hampshire Veterans for Peace to limit military recruiters’ access in Manchester high schools.
Freeman said he’ll reach out to N.H. Peace Action, an organization that advocates for world peace, to see the best way to move forward with the issue.
Athletics policy changed
The board also approved a policy for stricter student-athlete eligibility requirements after months of tweaking.
In addition to the previous requirements, a student-athlete now cannot have more than one failing grade during any grade-reporting period.
Prior to this policy, students had to pass two blocks that meet every day to be able to play sports under state standards, and maintain a 1.67 grade-point average, or C-minus average, to play under Keene High standards.
According to the N.H. Interscholastic Athletic Association, eligibility for each season is determined by grades received on the previous report card. Final grades or semester grades do not influence whether a student can compete.
Members of the board’s policy committee worked with Keene High School Athletic Director Leslie L. Farmer and Director of Guidance Kimberly Baker to develop the academic standards.
Under the new policy, if student-athletes drop below a 1.67 grade-point average or have one failing grade in any class, they will be put on academic probation until the next grading period.
If students do not raise their grades while on academic probation, then they will be “orange-shirted,” meaning they can practice but not participate in any competitions or team travel.
At that point, students cannot rejoin the team until passing their classes or successfully making up the failed credits, according to the policy.
The athletic eligibility policy will go into effect in the fall and will be evaluated after the first grading quarter in 2013.
Kaitlin Mulhere can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1439, or kmulhere@keenesentinel.com
