The Department of Defense’s military aptitude test (ASVAB) is given to thousands of 10th, 11th & 12th grade public school students in NY State. Their test scores, personal data including social security number, contact information, and academic skills are gleaned from the test and stored on a Department of Defense database for future release to the military for potential recruiting outreach. To ensure students’ privacy requires participating high school administrators to select Release Option 8: Access to student test information is not provided to recruiting services.
NY Commissioner of Education Elia is currently requesting public comments concerning student privacy. The ASVAB test has been left off her list of privacy concerns. It is our responsibility to petition the NY Board of Education and Board of Regents to enact a state-wide Directive denying this release of data. Urging our education officials to protect students’ privacy rights and enact a 2019 NY Directive requiring selection of Release Option 8 for all students taking the ASVAB is imperative for our children.
It’s urgent that we send a brief privacy letter to ensure Release Option 8 for each student during this open comment period. Your letter will be sent to the NY Commissioner of Education, Chief Privacy Officer, Chancellor of the Board of Regents, and all members of the Board of Regents.
