One Pager (PDF) | Bill Text (PDF)
June 15, 2023 / Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) / Senate.gov - Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension Committee, and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, introduced the Junior Reserve Officer Training (JROTC) Safety Act of 2023 to better protect JROTC recruits following reports of program instructors sexually assaulting and harassing high school students. The legislation would also increase oversight of the agencies charged with running the program and prohibit mandatory enrollment of students into the program.
In December 2022, a New York Times investigation found that “dozens of schools have made the program mandatory or steered more than 75 percent of students in a single grade into the classes,” raising major concerns over the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Education’s (ED) oversight of the program. Earlier that year, another investigation found that at least 33 JROTC instructors have been charged in criminal cases involving sexual misconduct.
“The JROTC program is meant to show the next generation the best of what our nation’s military has to offer, not be a place where young people have to fear harassment or assault from their instructors,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren. “I’m glad to be partnering with Senators Sanders and Hirono to ensure accountability for schools that fail to report abuse in the program and increase oversight of our agencies in charge.”
“The reports of abuse, mistreatment, and compulsory enrollment in JROTC programs nationwide are deeply disturbing and must be addressed immediately,” said Senator Mazie Hirono. “JROTC students and their families should be able to trust that they will be safe and respected in the JROTC program, and this legislation will help ensure they can. I will continue working to ensure that the more than 500,000 students participating in JROTC programs across the country—and the students who follow—are safe and protected.”
Specifically, the JROTC Safety Act would mandate:
The legislation is endorsed by Protect Our Defenders, the National Women’s Law Center, and the Service Women’s Action Network.
“Protect Our Defenders is committed to the safety and support of all servicemembers and those who look to serve our nation,” said Josh Connolly, Protect Our Defenders (POD) Senior Vice President, former Chief of Staff for Rep. Jackie Speier. “It is deeply troubling but not surprising to see the findings of hundreds of allegations of abuse and harassment. We must demand accountability and change as many of our future leaders start with JROTC. POD supports bicameral efforts to prevent future abuses under the JROTC Safety Act of 2023 and thanks Senator Warren for her work on this important legislation.”
“Sexual abuse and other forms of discrimination continue to be swept under the rug in Junior ROTC programs which perpetuates a harmful culture among the next generation of military leaders, well beyond ROTC,” said Emily Martin, NWLC’s Vice President for Education & Workplace Justice. “We’re glad Senator Warren is intervening with a bill that provides protections against discrimination and harassment, creates transparency and accountability at Junior ROTC programs, and requires the relevant government agencies to develop best practices for preventing and responding to harassment. The National Women’s Law Center is proud to support this bill and will continue to fight all forms of harassment in our schools and workplaces.”
“This bill is absolutely essential to making sure the Defense and Education Departments are helping to protect young students from being assaulted by instructors wearing the uniforms of our armed forces,” said Lorry Fenner (Colonel, USAF, Retired), Service Women's Action Network Director of Government Relations. “These instructors must be held accountable.”
As Chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, Senator Warren has led extensive oversight efforts to hold the Department of Defense and the Department of Education accountable for their management of the JROTC program.
Please consider supporting The National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth
and our work to demilitarize our schools and youth by sending a check to our fiscal sponsor "in our name" at the
Alliance for Global Justice.
Donate Here
###
Revised: 02/05/2024 GDG