Junior Reserve Officer Training in 18 NYC High Schools

New York City’s budget will come up for a vote this spring, and buried in its pages will be $2 million to fund the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) military programs at 18 NYC high schools, listed below.

JROTC is a program developed by the Department of Defense under the banner of citizenship and leadership for youth. Included as a regular part of the school day, the JROTC program masquerades as an educational curriculum.

But these classes are often led by instructors who are not certified by the NYC Department of Education. Instead the instructors are retired military personal, who are trained and prepared for classroom teaching using military procedures and management skills. JROTC is about winning the hearts and minds of students and school administrators. Recruiting students for military service is the goal.

Is this what we want for our kids? The GPB doesn’t think so, and we suspect a lot of parents agree with us. At the very least, we want to be sure that parents know that the schools are helping the military recruit their children. Will you help us get the word out?

What you can do:
Please join us
Parent Teacher Conference Night at NYC High Schools
Thursday, March 27, 2014, 5:00PM – We’ll have info to help families find job skill training courses, college programs, financial aid, and scholarship opportunities. Email us for details – grannypeace@gmail.com

– Barbara Harris and Eva-Lee Baird
for the Granny Peace Brigade
Photo: Bud Korotzer

Schools with JROTC programs in 2013-2014
Bronx:

1. Bronx High School for Law And Community Service (X439), Theodore Roosevelt Campus, 500 East Fordham Road
2. De Witt Clinton HS (X440),  100 West Mosholu Parkway South
3. Harry S. Truman HS – Educational Campus (X455), 750 Baychester Ave
4. Morris Academy for Collaborative Studies (X297), Morris Educational Campus, 1100 Boston Road

Brooklyn:

1. Franklin K. Lane HS (K420), 999 Jamaica Avenue
2. Performing Arts and Technology HS (K507), 400 Pennsylvania Ave
3. Fort Hamilton HS (K490),  8301 Shore Road

Manhattan:

1. HS Of Graphic Communication Arts (M625), 439 West 49th St
2. HS For Health Careers And Sciences (M468), 459 Audubon Ave

Queens:

1. Aviation Career and Technical HS (Q610), 45-30 36th St.
2. John Bowne HS (Q425), 63-25 Main St.
3. Francis Lewis HS (Q430), 58-20 Utopia Parkway
4. Long Island City HS (Q450), 14-30 Broadway

Staten Island:

1. The Michael J. Petrides School (R080), 715 Ocean Ave.
2. Port Richmond HS (R445), 35 St. Josephs Ave
3. Curtis HS (R450), 105 Hamilton Ave
4. Tottenville HS (R455), 100 Luten Ave
5. Susan E. Wagner HS (R460), 1200 Manor Road