The SERVE Act would expand military recruiters’ access to high schools and student information. It would require schools to provide recruiters with access at least four times during each academic year, and would add academic grades to certain student records made available. At colleges, recruiters could also receive information about students age 17 or older who do not return after a semester, including their reason for leaving if the school has collected it, and about students who filed a federal student aid application. The bill would also require annual sharing of additional Selective Service registration details, including birth dates, phone numbers, and email addresses.
The Department of Defense would create two JROTC affiliation types, including a cross-town option for students to attend a program hosted at another high school. The bill would establish a two-year program recognizing qualifying high schools as HERO schools and direct the department to create a policy giving priority consideration for military academy admission to eligible applicants from qualifying schools. It would also designate the first week of April as National Week of Military Recruitment and require reports to Congress.
If enacted, the bill would change when and where military recruiters can meet students and what student information schools make available. Students at schools without a JROTC unit could have an option to join a nearby host school’s program through a cross-town arrangement. Graduates of qualifying high schools would receive priority consideration in military service academy admissions; the bill does not specify that admission is guaranteed.
No publicly available information.
The bill’s stated rationale is to improve military recruitment by making students more aware of service options and benefits, and to support military staffing needs. It also states that cross-town JROTC access could improve student opportunities.
No publicly available information.