Young People & War
Life in the Military
Military in Schools

Houston public school students get alternative information on the military

by Bob Henschen

Do you have to threaten a lawsuit to get equal access with military recruiters in public schools? In Houston, we haven't had to... so far.

We began our counter-recruitment-equal access work in 1991, encouraged by successful counter-recruitment lawsuits in federal courts around the country in the 1980's (and concerned by the glorification of the military by the news media during the Gulf War). We formed a committee, including representatives from Veterans for Peace, Educators for Social Responsibility, church and peace groups, and a former member of the Houston school board. When we formally requested equal access with the military in Houston public schools, we were referred to the district's legal department and eventually to the high school counseling department for a review of our literature.

We fully expected to have to threaten a lawsuit (and risk a long, expensive, and potentially unsuccessful court case) to win the right to present our information inside the schools. But fortunately, the head of the counseling department, who is the mother of a teenage son, realized the value of presenting alternative information to students about the military and military recruitment. We were elated!

With minor changes, our literature was approved for distribution through counseling offices, and we were offered a chance to present our project to a group of head counselors representing all of the Houston secondary schools. At our initial meeting in January, 1992, 35 of these counselors signed up to receive our counter-recruitment information displays. To date, more than 75 Houston school libraries and counseling offices display our materials.

Although we face a continuing challenge to build and maintain a group of volunteers to monitor and service the counter-recruitment displays, our group has received substantial support from the A.J. Muste Memorial Foundation and Resist, along with generous contributions from local individuals and organizations. With this support, we have created ( with the assistance of a 15 year old art student) a new cartoon format flyer for middle school students and a conflict resolution lesson packet for elementary school teachers. Developing and promoting a speakers bureau for career day and classroom presentations is next on our priority list.

Our cooperation with the local school district has proven advantageous in putting this project in place and giving thousands of students access to alternative information on military enlistment. Our racks sit next to Army and Navy displays in many schools. And even when students don't take our flyers, the header ("It's Your Life: Consider Nonmilitary Options") and flyer titles encourage them to consider other views of war and the military.

We realize that we depend on the continued cooperation of the Houston school district. But we have established good relations with counselors and librarians, and our service now has a proven track record in these schools. We feel that this will benefit us if we ever have to consider legal action in order to continue our outreach.

We're proud of our project and our record of successful work with school district personnel and students. We hope that our experience can be useful to groups considering similar projects.

Contact: Bob Henschen, Committee for Youth and Nonmilitary Opportunities,
850 Jaquet Drive., Bellaire, TX 77401