A group of some 20 peace activists addressed the Helena School Board Tuesday night, urging trustees to take action against military recruiting on campus. They are members of Just Don't Go, a group whose mission is to stop the "militarization of schools" and raise awareness on military recruiting practices.

They want the district to change its procedures regarding students' opportunity to opt-out of the distribution of directory information to local military recruiters, and curb military recruiters' access to students.

"We have in this country the best, and perhaps only public education system the world has ever known," said Army veteran Sam Sperry. "The purpose of public education in the United States is to educate not to indoctrinate."

The group's comments made Tuesday evening are part of an ongoing district-level discussion.

This summer, members of the local Just Don't Go organization and the Helena Peace Seekers met with several of Helena's district administrators.

An amendment to the No Child Left Behind Act, signed in 2002, requires school districts to provide directory information -- name, address and telephone number -- to military recruiters upon request.

Over the last several years, military recruiters' requests for student directory information have always been honored, Helena School District Superintendent Bruce Messinger said.

In past practice, parents or students who did not want to have their directory information released could fill out a form that would be kept on file at the school.

According to Messinger, the forms were included in the student handbook and also available in the counselor's office.

The problem, according to members of the Just Don't Go group, is that when a student fills out the form, directory information is withheld from every recruiting agency including college and employment recruiters.

Tuesday night, Jo Anne Thun, a Just Don't Go member, said she wanted district administrators to create a separate opt-out form that would apply only to military recruiters.

In an interview prior to Tuesday's meeting, Messinger said the longstanding practice has always been to keep students' information confidential, and counselors do not release lists of students' directory information.

However, if any individual or organization requests directory information, the school could legally release it if administrators wanted to.

"The perception is that we distribute lists and lists of names. We don't do that," Messinger said.

"There's a lot of directory information out there on high school students that isn't coming from us," he added. "Credit card companies have no trouble finding 17- and 18-year-olds to fill out their applications."

Thun said Just Don't Go members are also concerned that military recruiters are given preference or more access to students than other recruiters.

"We feel it is important to speak on letting the peace groups speak in the schools or have a table at the school when the military is there," Thun said.

Generally, military recruiters aren't given any preference over recruiters from colleges or other after-graduation opportunities, Messinger said, but because each of the military branches recruits separately, a military presence may be on high school campuses more in one year than a single college.

"We're not opposed to establishing guidelines," Messinger said, adding that any guidelines applied to military recruiters will have to be applied to all recruiters.

Administrators and high school counselors will discuss on-campus recruiting by all organizations in the coming months to develop a plan to equalize on-campus time.

Student privacy and access to campus for any organization raises legal questions.

"Just because all this has happened so recently, we haven't had a chance to address legal issues, surrounding this," Messinger said, adding that the district's legal counsel is currently studying the changes to the opt-out procedure. "We want to make sure before we go ahead with that until we know we're on solid legal ground."

Whatever changes are made to the district's opt-out process and the adoption of any new guidelines governing on-campus recruiters will not require changes in board policy, but will be covered under administrative procedures.

Also Tuesday night:

n Trustees discussed the district's after school program, PEAK. The program was recognized as one of eight exemplary after-school programs in the nation. Funded by a Federal 21st Century Grant, some 300 students a year participate in programs that range from archery and astronomy to reading and math remediation.

The district is in its final year of the grant, which provides between $250-300,000 a year, and trustees will need to begin to discuss how the program will be funded in the future.

"This isn't extra. This isn't fluff. This really is at the heart and soul of what we do," said trustee Michael O'Neil.

n District Director of Support Services Jon Carter updated trustees on the construction at C.R. Anderson Middle School. Phase one of the project -- shoring up the walls damaged by a July earthquake -- was completed ahead of schedule, making way for the beginning of classes on Sept. 12.

Work on phase two is under way, and Carter said the contractor is adjusting the daily schedule so work will start later in the day so that most of the work will be done after school to minimize noise.

"We are optimistic at this juncture that it will be done by the end of Christmas break," Carter told the board.

n Joe Furshong, director of student services, informed the board that the district received a $297,000 federal grant from the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. The money will be used to curb alcohol abuse among teenagers.

Reporter Laura Tode can be reached at 447-4081 or by e-mail at helenair.com">laura.tode@helenair.com.