IRAQ: IN FOCUS
Iraq: In Focus

Campaigns

Local & Regional Actions

Hands Off Our Kids: Stopping Recruiters in Our School Systems

STEP 1: Educate Yourself and Your Family
The ASVAB is given to more than a half million public high school students every year under the guise of “career testing”. Unfortunately ASVAB only tests for military careers and all of the results from the four-hour test, along with sensitive personal information, are released to military recruiters - unless schools take steps to protect student privacy.

STEP 2: Educate Your School About Option 8
Most schools don't know the ASVAB is primarily a military recruiting tool. After all, the military markets it as a public service, a free "Career Exploration Program" to assist kids in finding appropriate career paths. More importantly, most schools aren't aware of "ASVAB Release Option 8," which allows schools to have the military proctor the test while keeping scores and personal information private.

STEP 3: Take Action in Your School District.
Four of the nation’s largest school systems have already been persuaded to protect student privacy by selecting Option 8. Privacy advocates in Maryland recently passed legislation requiring public high schools to notify each student and their guardian of their right to prevent students’ names and contact information from being released to military recruiters (Senate Bill 428).

Peace Action has already supported successful campaigns to protect students from predatory military recruiting across the country, contact us for help doing this work in your community.

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Background
Sample Letter
Link to Superintendent Contact Information

MARCH 19th: We Made War Bad for Business

On March 19th 2008, the 5th Anniversary of the Iraq occupation, we did just that. SPAN and Peace Action activists – along with hundreds of others – blocked traffic in the busy K-street corridor during rush hour. Over 300 students from all over the country took ground at the corner of K, Vermont, and 17th streets for 3 hours in DC; we sang, danced, and educated the public on war profiteers. It’s was AMAZING.

Watch our video and check out pictures from the day before you check out all the press for the event. If you’d like to join us next time please contact Katherine Fuchs or Jonathan Williams.

Online Actions

Open letter to Congress
We think that five years is five years too many and that the projected three TRILLION dollar price tag for the war in Iraq is three trillion dollars too much! If you agree, we need you to join Peace Action and the forty member organizations of the Win Without War coalition and call on Congress to stop giving President Bush the money that he needs to continue the military occupation of Iraq.

Resources
Iraq Fact Sheet

Iraq Talking Points: Address the Surge, Democracy Building, and the Quagmire the Bush Administration has created.

War Profiteers