Taskforce to End Compulsory Military Training in Schools
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Introduction

"JROTC is one of the best recruiting devices that we could have.”
– William Cohen, then Secretary of Defense, February 2000

 

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On December 11, 2022 the New York Times printed its lead story titled, “ Thousands of Teens Are Being Pushed Into Military’s Junior R.O.T.C.”
The New York Times reviewed over 200 public records requests and found schools in Detroit, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City and Mobile, Alabama were automatically enrolling students in JROTC. For those of us involved in counter-recruitment activism, this was not news In Chicago, several schools place all 9th grade students in JROTC. In San Diego, local activists addressed the issue of compulsory enrollment in 2008 only to see it resurface in 2021. The targeted schools serve mostly low-income and nonwhite students. The school-to-military pipeline, of which JROTC is a significant part, channels primarily economically disadvantaged and students of color into military careers over college or non-military occupations without being truthful about the real costs of military enlistment. In addition to forced enrollment and disingenuous recruitment practices, we are seeing documented cases of students being sexually abused by JROTC instructors in schools around the country. The New York Times reported on this issue in July, August, September, and November of 2022. The Times investigations have motivated several Senators, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren, to call for more scrutiny of the program: specifically, its enrollment practices, problems with sexual abuse, biased curriculum, and its close relationship with the National Rifle Association. While Congressional action is important, it is critical that we take action at the local level. To this end, the Task Force To End Compulsory Military Training In Schools has put together this organizing packet for groups and individuals around the country wishing to investigate, challenge and change enrollment practices of JROTC. We want students to learn independence and critical thinking, not blind obedience.

 

Hirono, Warren, Sanders Introduce Junior Reserve Officer Training Safety Act, Mazie Hirono Senate Office, June 21, 2023
https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hirono-warren-sanders-introduce-junior-reserve-officer-training-safety-act

Senators Warren, Sanders, Hirono Introduce Junior Reserve Officer Training Safety Act, Warren Senate Office, June 15, 2023
https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senators-warren-sanders-hirono-introduce-junior-reserve-officer-training-safety-act

Senators Warren, Hirono, Lawmakers Call for GAO Review of JROTC Program Following Pervasive Reports of Sexual Abuse and Misconduct, Warren Senate Office, May 15, 2023
https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senators-warren-hirono-lawmakers-call-for-gao-review-of-jrotc-program-following-pervasive-reports-of-sexual-abuse-and-misconduct

ICYMI: At First Hearing of Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee, Warren Highlights Priorities for 2024 NDAA, Warren Senate Office, March 16, 2023
https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/icymi-at-first-hearing-of-armed-services-personnel-subcommittee-warren-highlights-priorities-for-2024-ndaa

Senators Warren, Hirono, Sanders, and Wyden Question DoD over Reports of Students Forced into JROTC Enrollment, Warren Senate Office, February 02, 2023
https://www.warren.senate.gov/oversight/letters/senators-warren-hirono-sanders-and-wyden-question-dod-over-reports-of-students-forced-into-jrotc-enrollment

Senators demand answers from Dept. of Defense after reports of JROTC instructor abuse, NPR, September 21, 2022
https://www.npr.org/2022/09/21/1124300850/senators-demand-answers-from-dept-of-defense-after-reports-of-jrotc-instructor-a

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JROTC is a program taught in 3500 high schools across the country by retired military
officers. The Pentagon has claimed that JROTC is supposed to be an elective.The
New York Times found that thousands of public school students were being funneled
into JROTC classes without ever having chosen them. #JROTC #RespectParentalChoice
https://endcom.org/

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