According to information detailed in the student handbook distributed to students and parents enrolled in one of the high schools in the Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) system, students’ “directory information” is disclosed to military recruiters and military service academies unless a request is made not to disclose it. Parents and guardians of students under age 18 (or students 18 or older) can request that the information not be disclosed by submitting a written and signed letter to their high school principal’s office.

This policy is consistent with Section 9528 of the No Child Left Behind Act that requires high schools to both release information to military recruiters if requested and inform parents of their ability to “opt-out” from having the information released to recruiters. However, there may be ways to organize to improve the method of parental notification. While the information is buried within the GRPS Student Handbook, activists in other cities have organized and gotten their school districts to provide improved opt-out procedures including making forms available online, providing specific opt-out forms, and mailing forms to parents in separate letters so that they are more visible.