After graduation from high school, students are faced with several options. Joining a branch of the armed forces is one of the options students have. Another is to go to a two-year or four-year college or university. Other students enroll in vocational or apprentice programs or go directly to work.

Recruiters for the military, post-secondary educational institutions, and prospective employers all share the same access to high school students. Section 9528 of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 sets forth the legal expectations of public schools with regard to military recruiters' access to students.

  1. Access to Student Recruiting Information
    High schools must provide access to students' names, addresses and telephone listings, upon request, to military recruiters and recruiters from colleges and universities.

    Consent
    High School students or parents may ask that the school NOT release the individual student's name, address, and telephone listing without their prior consent. Each fall, an Opt Out form is given to all high school students. Students who returned signed Opt Out forms prior to November 1 are not listed in the directory information provided to the military and/or college or university recruiters.

  2. Same Access to Students
    Military recruiters have the same access to secondary school students as is generally provided for post-secondary educational institutions (i.e., colleges, universities, and vocational programs) or to prospective employers of those students.

There are two opt-out forms for students and families who do not want directory information shared with others outside for the school system.

  1. FERPA Opt Out form
    • needs to be turned in each yearinvolves information to colleges, PTSAs and the military
    • due Oct 1
  2. The Seattle Schools Opt Out form
    • needs only to be turned in once during students' high school careeronly pertains to sharing information with the military
    • due Oct 1

Seattle School District #1 Policy E14.02 , and other policies listed at the left, describe the district's expectations with regard to military recruiting. This policy states that each high school shall publish Recruiter Rules, which explain the specific expectations for recruiters on campus. The policy also calls for the district website to include counter-military recruiting information.