According to Ron Whitehead, registrar at CHS, more than 80% of seniors at Chelsea High School have filed OPT OUT requests. The OPT OUT program allows high school students and their parents to submit a request preventing their personal information from being shared with military recruiters. For the past 12 years, Chelsea Uniting Against the War has distributed OPT OUT forms and educational materials during the opening weeks of the school year. Data shows that fewer than half of the remaining student population have submitted an OPT OUT request. Moving forward, Chelsea Uniting Against the War plans to maintain information tables during lunch periods throughout the coming months to educate students about their rights regarding military recruitment.
On January 14, 2015, members of Chelsea Uniting Against the War handed out fliers in English and Spanish to students arriving at Chelsea High School. The materials highlighted Martin Luther King’s stance against war in advance of the federal holiday honoring him. Among the content was King’s statement: “I am disappointed with our failure to deal positively and forthrightly with the triple evils of racism, exploitation and militarism.”
The flier also included another passage from King’s sermon “Why I Am Opposed to to the War in Vietnam”: “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” This quote was included for its continued relevance today. Students received information about the Four Mile March scheduled for Martin Luther King Day in Boston and other major U.S.cities. On January 20, 2015, Martin Luther King Day, members of Chelsea Uniting Against the War participated in the Four Mile March in Boston alongside thousands of other demonstrators. The march’s demands included Jail Killer Cops, Demilitarize the Police, End Mass Incarceration, End the wars, $15 hour Minimum Wage, Fund Our Communities, and specific to Boston, No Olympics.
For more information about Chelsea Uniting Against the War, call 617-884-2841 or email [email protected]