Students who attended non-traditional high school programs, such as public virtual schools, are being unfairly marginalized and denied admission into the U.S. military. The Associated Press reports that it is the Department of Defense's policy to classify students on a hierarchy of recruiting importance - labeled Tier 1 or Tier 2.  Of those placed within the Tier 2 classification, only 10% are recruited. Of all recruits, 99% come from the Tier 1 classification.  This classification system is based solely on whether or not a high school student attended a traditional or non-traditional school. Thus, the supposedly inferior Tier 2 is made up of virtual schoolers, homeschoolers, and/or those who have received his/her GED certification.

Many parents, teachers, and government officials are outraged by this recruiting system and believe that it needs to be modernized. Virtual school students, such as Ryker Packard, a student at Pennsylvania's Agora Cyber Charter School, is required to take the same tests and qualifications as his traditional school counterparts. Packard, who hails from a small town area, feels as if joining the military would be his opportunity for a better future. 

Top colleges and universities across the country are treating virtual students equal to their brick and mortar peers, so isn't it time that our military does the same?