"We want to reach out to home schoolers to let them know they have a place in our nation's Air Force," said Brig. Gen. Peter Sutton, charged with leading the Air Force Recruiting Service in its efforts to attract people to the service.

Each year, the Air Force offers more than 30,000 young men and women the chance to continue their education, learn a skill and serve their nation. Department of Defense accession policy groups enlisted accessions into one of three educational tiers: traditional high school diploma graduates; home schoolers and GED holders; and those with no high school equivalency credentials. Previous Air Force Recruiting Service policy limited the total number of home schoolers, GED holders and those with no high school equivalency to less than one percent of all enlistees.

Under the new policy, home schoolers are grouped separately and do not count against the one-percent cap. The policy change is part of an Air Force test program to permit increased opportunities for home schoolers to enlist and to determine if their attrition from Basic Military Training is equivalent to traditional high school diploma graduates.

"It makes sense for us to include home schoolers among our target audience," said Sutton. "The number of children taught in non-traditional schools is growing and we have a continued need for young people to serve." According to statistics gathered by the Air Force Recruiting Service here, there are approximately 1.23 million children enrolled in home schools - a number that represents 2 percent of the school age population. The number, recruiting officials say, is growing by 15 percent each year.

For more information on Air Force opportunities, check out the service's World Wide Web home page at www.airforce.com or call the Air Force Opportunities Center toll free number, 1-800-423-USAF. If you would like more information on the changes in Air Force recruiting, call Master Sgt. Tom Clements, Air Force Recruiting Service Public Affairs, (210) 652-5745.

HSLDA persuaded Senator Coverdell to introduce an amendment to H.R. 3616, the Defense Authorization bill to end this discrimination against home schoolers. The bill creates a five-year pilot project automatically placing home school recruits into the Tier I status. Each branch of the military must allow up to 1,250 home school diploma recipients to be considered under the Tier I status along with all other high school graduates.

The bill passed and the President signed the bill into law on October 17, 1998. It became effective immediately.

Under this new law, home schoolers seeking enlistment in one of the four branches of the military must provide a high school diploma, a high school transcript, pass the military aptitude test, and meet any physical and other eligibility requirements for recruitment.

This means military recruiters must accept a home school diploma or transcript regardless of the teacher's relationship to the student. Furthermore, a transcript or diploma prepared by the parent, as well as a high school diploma or transcript issued by a non-accredited home school correspondence course satisfies the law's intent. No additional educational documentation is required.

Home school students seeking to enlist in the any of the four branches of the military cannot be rejected, as in the past, simply on the basis of not possessing an accredited high school diploma. (HSLDA will assist member families who have difficulty with local recruiters who may not understand the new law).

As a response to the new federal law, the Army has announced, "Young men and women who gain their high school diploma through home schooling can now receive the same Army benefits as those students who graduate from a traditional high school." Home school graduates can now receive an enlistment bonus of $12,000 for enlistment in certain military occupational specialties and up to $40,000 from the Army College Fund for college tuition.

The Navy wasted no time making a new policy. "Effective immediately, a person with a home school diploma will be classified as being in a Tier I status for enlistment purposes . . . A home school applicant can score 31 or greater on the ASVB\AFQT."

The other branches are also in the process of opening their doors. Brig. General Sutton, charged with leading the Air Force Recruiting Service, announced, "We want to reach out to home schoolers and let them know they have a place in our nation's Air Force." They are now recognizing home schoolers as high school graduates. The Marines are expected to issue formal recruitment policy changes soon in light of the new law.

Home schoolers, by the grace of God, now have the right to compete on equal footing with other high school graduates seeking entrance into the military

Reprinted with permission