Mainstreet Moms (The MMOB) Launches "Kitchen Campaign" To Secure Kids' Privacy As Military Recruiters Stand Down

Mainstreet Moms publicly launches the "Leave My Child Alone.org" campaign to protect their children's privacy from the unauthorized release of student information to recruiters under No Child Left Behind Act.

It's outrageous that our local schools are being threatened with the loss of funding if they move to protect our privacy against unauthorized recruitment. This has nothing to do with learning, and it's a direct attack on local control.

Bolinas, CA (PRWEB) May 18, 2005 -- As army officials suspend military recruitment for one day in an unprecedented "Stand Down" following ethics scandals, Mainstreet Moms (the MMOB) publicly launches the "Leave My Child Alone.org" campaign to protect their children's privacy from the unauthorized release of student information to recruiters under No Child Left Behind Act.

Mothers today across the country are taking steps to ensure that the home addresses and phone numbers of minors are not released by high schools to any outside parties without explicit parental consent.

Members of the campaign LeaveMyChildAlone.org have already "opted out" more than 1200 high school students from military recruiters lists, and brought 20,000 Citizen Co-Sponsors on board in support of the
Student Privacy Protection Act (H.R. 551).

While military recruiters stand down for review today, concerned families stand up for privacy by signing up to host house parties and meetups in their communities on June 1st with LeaveMyChildAlone.org, a partnership project of Mainstreet Moms (the MMOB), Working Assets and ACORN. In homes, coffeehouses and community centers around the country, guests will "opt out" their own children, and lobby their local school boards to adopt a Family Privacy Resolution.

"So many parents we talk to have no idea their kid's private information is being released," said Megan Matson, founder of the MMOB and mother of three. "It's outrageous that our local schools are being threatened with the loss of funding if they move to protect our privacy against unauthorized recruitment. This has nothing to do with learning, and it's a direct attack on local control."

The military, in an unprecedented move akin to a military "stand down" after a major Air Force loss or Marine mishap, has today suspended all recruitment to review and retrain personnel in ethics. The decision to "stand down" comes after a spate of bad press for unethical practices in recruiting.

The MMOB (Mainstreet Moms Operation Blue) is a grassroots project dedicated to the increased community engagement of women, especially as they identify as mothers. Mainstreet Moms in 49 states sent 504,000 personal letters of encouragement with voter registration forms to unregistered single mothers during 2004.

www.leavemychildalone.org

Contact:    
Megan Matson, www.themmob.com
(415-868-8857 or 415-497-2320)
Becky Bond, WorkingAssets
(415-369-2107)

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military recruiting military recruitment mmbo mainstreet moms leave my child alone no child left behind minors legal rights of minors student privacy protection act family privacy recruiter ethics

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