Dear [NAME OF PRINCIPAL OR SUPERINTENDENT],

As many [NAME OF HIGH SCHOOL] students approach graduation I imagine they are concerned about their futures, especially given the current economic climate. I am writing to you to request an opportunity to visit your school and speak with students about life after high school.

I am a member of a Western Massachusetts community group affiliated with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). We are reaching out to young people who are considering military service. Our goals are to help young people look at career, vocational, and educational funding opportunities outside of military service, so that they may make informed decisions about their futures.

We also provide young people with information military recruiters may not offer so that they may make a fully-informed decision. If a student does want to join the military, those of us who are veterans can offer them a different perspective on the recruitment process.

If you are concerned about the legality of allowing alternative information about military service in your school, especially during a time when military recruiters are contacting your students, let me reassure you that several federal district and appellate courts have repeatedly upheld Equal Access laws that enable students to get alternative information. For example, in 1986 the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that under the First and Fourteenth Amendments schools creating a forum for proponents of the military must also provide equal access for those with opposing points of view. Military recruiters are aware of these legal precedents, recognizing that such laws protect their access to schools as well as the access of organizations with alternative perspectives.

Members of our group include high school and college educators and students, veterans, social workers, psychologists, parents and longtime valley residents. We are skilled advocates who can meet individually with interested young people to assist them in applying to college and vocational schools, finding scholarships and financial aid, preparing for the SAT, writing resumes and completing job applications, and seeking job training programs.

Ideally we would hope to present these materials and be available for informal discussions with students at an information table during lunch hour or as a presentation in the auditorium. I will call you within a week to discuss the possibility of a school visit in May. I look forward to speaking with you.

Sincerely,

[CONTACT PERSON]