Is it illegal for military recruiters to go into the school to recruit High school students?

Question

I live in New York city and someone told me it was a form of entrapment to lure kids with false hopes of having money for college. Especially in this city where kids grow into poverty, and violence. Is it illegal for them to do that and if so, being minors, would they be legally bound to enlist?

Answer 1

Do you even know the definition of the word entrapment? And why would someone be legally bound to enlist in the armed forces simply b/c a recruiter came by and discussed the possibility of a career in the military?

Wow, get a grip.  

Answer 2

It is not illegal; in fact, it is a matter of law that they are specifically allowed to go into the high schools (assuming they receive federal funds which most do).

There are strict guidelines that they must follow in their recruiting actions.  BEFORE EVERYONE JUMPS ON THAT STATEMENT, recruiters are only people and just like in the civilian communicty there are unethical people.  As such, there are just some jerks who do not follow the rules.  This behavior is not sanctioned by the military and is aggressively punished when it is discovered.  Unfortunately everyone wants to get on the bandwagon and condemn the actions of one or two individuals as if the entire service did it.

Answer 3

em first off you have to be 18 to sign up before you can join. so they wouldnt be minors, and yes you do get money for college if you join the military... so what is wrong with this??? they are trying to show them a way out and help them with schooling and a job.... there is nothing illegal about that.  

Answer 4

No, it isn't illegal; obviously the state board allows them to go into the schools.  It isn't like they are there to forcibly enlist the kids, they are to show what the military has to offer.  

I support the fact that they go to schools looking for willing bodies of men and women to serve our country.  If our kids believe that it is an abomination for Recruiters to do such a thing, it is a huge insult to the rest of the 308 million citizens that depend on the safety of the United States.

Answer 5

No, they come to my school all the time.

Answer 6

No it is not illegal and no minor can sign a contrct without parental consent so that is not true either.  Since they can get college money and go to college are you so full of hate for the military you would deny them a possible way out of your city full of poverty and violence?  

Answer 7

there is money for college, so it's not false hopes.

if the student is a minor, parents have to sign off; but not all students are minors

Answer 8

speaking from experience, i was born and raised in a little corner of the bronx. since joining the army, i have completed a bacholors degree, FREE due to a great program called tuition assistance.

i wish i was a high school kid nowadays, you tell me fellow new yorker... what job do you know would pay $14,000 guaranteed to have you start a job with them? hmmm, the US Army pays $1000 per month to a young man or woman that enlists while in high school and is just waiting to graduate.

what else, oh.. need not forget the colege thing. who in their right mind would pay a school that doesnt care wether you pass or fail? any college is an business, the Army like other branches that defend this country are organizations. by having the discipline of the army, i have been able to SUCCESSFULLY attain the EXACT same degree that anyone else would have without the monotony of taking 10+ years to repay student loans.

Who would you hire? a 22 yr old experienced, self motivated, aggressive and a positive leader and role model on others or the 22 yr old college kid that is just getting done living with 4 of his buddies just to pay off a $400 rent bill in a trailer and has only done internships getting treated like that yucky stuff on your shoe after a hot summer day?  

Answer 9

First of all, there is no 'false hopes' of having money for college.  If they promise it to you, you get it.  You don't have to sign the contract.  Not only that but if they are growing up in a world of poverty, joining the military is a sure way of helping to turn that around.  There are so many benefits to being in the military.  As far as for whether a recruiter lies, they really aren't allowed to any more.  And if they did, it'd only give them a bad reputation with the other potential recruits.  Many branches of the military met their quota for the number of new recruits early this year.  And, up until you leave for Boot Camp, you can always change your mind.  Minors cannot sign any legally binding contract without parent permission, and both parents must also sign.

Answer 10

No there is nothing illegal, it is not false entrapment.

Answer 11

no.

Answer 12

It is not illegal for military recruiters to go into high schools on recruiting campaigns.   If the students want information for the military after high school graduation, this is a perfect opportunity to get their questions answered.

If the student is still a minor, then the parents must sign for his/her enlistment.

Again I stress, AFTER GRADUATION !!!

Answer 13

No. It's not illegal. Not if the school gets Title One or other Federal Department of Education dollars. You take the King's shilling, you do the King's bidding.

No one can enlist in the military on their own accord until they reach age 18. At age 17 they can only enlist with the signed permission of both parents or guardians.

Now, worry more about the drug dealers near those schools. Some of them were there when I graduated high school in Brooklyn in 1957 and I suspect the successor  generation is there today.  

Answer 14

It's not illegal but I've been told that military recruiters use high pressure tactics and even flat out lie to get new recruits. Not only that but there have been cases where young women who talked to recruiters were sexually assaulted by them.

People need to remember that with the wars going on, the military desperately needs more people. That's why the age limits for joining have been raised and standards been lowered. There is no draft going on and most people are not interested in joining the military so the recruiters have to find new ways to get more people.

Answer 15

The school is a public institution and therefore open to any citizen, so no, it is not illegal for a recruiter for the military to recruit in a high school.  It is no more illegal than it would be for a recruiter for a Fortune 500 company to recruit there.

I also fail to see how it would be entrapment for a recruiter to show the impoverished children of our inner cities an alternate route through life.  The child does not have to enlist, there is no draft.  

Additionally, the recruiter can not get anyone enlisted until they are "EDIT seventeen" with a parent or guardians' consent, or until the enlistee is eighteen.  Therefore, there is no legal ramification to the contract.

Answer 16

Absolutly NOT! A recruiter can and will put alot of attention on a high school. It's not illegal for the recruiter do this. Most schools receive government funding and due to this they (the school) are required to allow these recruiters to do their jobs. As a recruiter I will tell you that one of the first things a recruiter should do is sit down and discuss his recruiting plans with the principle of the school. Most principles will not allow recruiters to approach the students however if the student approaches the recruiter then it's fine. We sit down with the principle to dismiss any negative feelings about what we do. Just to give some more information we do not prey on the poverty stricken. Anyone and everyone who meets our requirements will have the opportunity to join. Not everyone who joins falls into this category. These kids have to meet age, medical, mental, moral, and physical requirements. So it turns out to be something like 2-3 out of 10 are actually qualified. If a student wants to join and is 17 yrs old he/she will need his/hers parents permission. 18 and over can join on their own.

PS-I would like to ask you to talk with these recruiters and find out what they are about and most times you will find that they are amoung the most sincere, compationate, intelligent, and morally straight citizens anywhere. Also we do not lure kids in with false hopes the military is what the individual makes of it. It takes alot of dedication, hard work, and determination to get the job done. Also we (in the Army) live by 7 Army values they are (loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, itegrity, and personal courage). If everyone would live by these same values think of how much greater our nation would be.