Michael Smith:
Before 1998 home schoolers were officially considered "second tier recruits" by all branches of the military.
The military divides potential recruits into three groups called "tiers." Tier 1 recruits are graduates from accredited high schools. Tier 2 students are those who have dropped out of high school and passed the GED. High school dropouts without a GED are considered Tier 3.
Since home educated students do not fit into any category, they were considered high school dropouts. Students not categorized as Tier 1 are required to score higher on military aptitude tests and are not eligible for all the benefits available to Tier 1 recruits. Few students from Tiers 2 and 3 are even accepted.
For years HSLDA lobbied Congress to fix this situation. Then in 1998 an amendment containing a solution was attached to Defense spending legislation.
These new regulations created a five-year pilot program whereby each branch of the military would reserve 1,250 slots a year for home schoolers. The program stipulated that home schooled enlistees would be considered Tier 1.
To date, none of these quotas have been filled. Your son or daughter may be surprised to find a very eager recruiter waiting for them should they decide to enlist.
Being in a military family and home schooling your children presents unique challenges. The Home School Court Report recently profiled several military families and asked how they overcome the uncommon problems they face. Ask for your free copy when you contact us. Check us out online at homeschoolheartbeat.com. That's homeschoolheartbeat.com.
