FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 22, 2011
NCPSO Applauds Passage of Defense Authorization Bill
Arlington, Va. - The National Coalition for Public School Options (NCPSO) today applauded the passing and expected Presidential signing any day of the FY12 National Defense Authorization Bill, a measure that ensures graduates of online public schools are placed on equal standing when applying to join the military.
NCPSO President Briana LeClaire said, "We thank our outspoken parent leaders for continuing to ensure Congress and the President updated this archaic military recruitment policy. Online public school students complete the same requirements as their brick-and-mortar counterparts and there is no reason to discourage them from enlisting in the military. Thank you also to our Congressional leaders who helped pave the way for this important change to the law."
Due to outdated rules, online public school students were denied entrance to military recruitment operations even though they had earned a diploma equivalent to other public schools.
Graduates of online public schools were considered Tier II candidates for the purposes of military enrollment, which is equal to a high school GED. In reality, graduates of online public schools complete the exact same graduation requirements established by their state of residence as their brick-and-mortar counterparts. This military policy was established before online public schools even existed.
Because of this outdated rule, certain branches of the military decline any Tier 2 students as recruits; while other branches may only accept a certain number of Tier 2 enlistees.
NCPSO applauds its own parent leaders, state parent groups, the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL), the National Association of Public Charter Schools (NAPCS), and online learning providers K12 Inc. and Connections Education for their efforts to ensure these rules were appropriately changed.
NCPSO would also like to thank the many members of Congress who were integral to the success of this bill, including Congressmen Duncan Hunter, John Kline, Rob Andrews, Joe Wilson, and Jared Polis, and Senators Patty Murray, Jim Webb, John McCain, and Mark Udall.
About NCPSO
The
National Coalition for Public School Options is an alliance of parents that
supports and defends parents' rights to access the best public school options
for their children. The Coalition supports the creation of public school
options, including charter schools, online schools, magnet schools, tuition
scholarship programs, open enrollment policies and other innovative education
programs. Additionally, we advocate for
free and equal access without restrictions to these public schools for all
students.
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