Activists rally at CPS

By Emerald Morrow
Medill Reports - Chicago

Anti-war opponents attended a Chicago Board of Education meeting Wednesday morning to denounce current military recruitment policy in the city's public high schools.

Before the meeting, the American Friends Service Committee organized a rally that drew more than a dozen protesters carrying signs and pamphlets in the lobby of the board's downtown headquarters. They were decrying military recruiters' virtually unlimited access to Chicago Public School students.

"These recruiters come to the school, have access to the school and can pull [students] out of class," said Patricia McCann, Iraq war veteran and AFSC member. "I would just like to see [a] policy protect the rights of students and not the rights of recruiters."

The American Friends committee recommends that military recruiters be required to give 48 hours notice before visiting high schools. Committee members have been working with the CPS board since August on the issue. According to Darlene Gramigna of the AFSC, their recommendation of 48-hours notice is a good first step in terms of dialogue. That recommendation will certainly not be their last, she said.

Gramigna also hopes that new board policies will be more friendly toward organizations like the AFSC, which are also considered recruiters. She wants to make sure that students signing up for the military fully understand the commitment they're making. She also wants to make them aware of alternative ways to serve the country.

CPS Board of Education President Rufus Williams said the policy is on the agenda for discussion this month.