If the policies of two of the nation's largest districts are any indication, parents don't have to worry about card companies setting up sales tables at their kids' high schools. If the sole purpose is to come in and sell a product, such as signing up kids for credit cards, there is no educational value in that. The Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second largest, also prohibits solicitation on school grounds. Cass says a lender might be allowed to talk to students about credit card use and financial management, but those requests are carefully screened by a committee that scrutinizes lecture outlines and materials. Card companies still have ways of branding their names on young brains.
Many schools work with corporations to sponsor events.
As a result, the lender might be allowed to hang a banner in the gym or stadium. Cass, who works in the Broward district's partnership division, says they are approached by all sorts of interests. They are a captive audience. She says American Express is very involved with the district, paying for luncheons and other events. Most credit card forms stipulate that the applicant must be 18 years old, but just as there is no way to ensure a mischievous minor won't sneak away to puff a cigarette or swig alcohol, there is no guarantee a credit card won't fall into the wrong hands.