Bill proposed to limit aggressive military recruiting in schools ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - Under pressure from parents last May, DeKalb County suspended plans for a military-run high school. Many parents saw it as a masked attempt to recruit minors.

Today, state lawmakers introduced a bill that would take stronger action against that practice.

Jonathan Shapiro reports.

Christopher Raissi is a former marine, an Iraq war Veteran, and an ex-recruiter.

He's currently speaking out for a proposed bill that would penalize military recruiters who target students under 17 years old.

He says the practice is much more prevalent than parents think.

RAISSI: Just by ignoring a recruiter because you have caller id or chewing them out and telling them not to talk to your kid that doesn't prevent them from talking to your kid in the school, out in town or anything like that. What this will do will let you as a parent control the contact that your child has with the recruiter.

The bill says recruiters would have to receive written consent from parents to actively recruit their kids.

State senator Nan Orrock is one of the bill's sponsors and says she hopes it's a big wake-up call up for parents.

ORROCK: It's time to get more parents and educators involved in this conversation and seeing that we take appropriate measures here in our state to not have this illegal practice going on that preys on young people.

The proposed bill would also free schools from having to give military recruiters their complete student rosters.

Since 2001, the federal government - under No Child Left Behind -,has required schools to turn over to the military the names of every 9, 10, 11th, and 12th grade student.

For WABE News, I'm Jonathan Shapiro © Copyright 2012, WABE