The surveillance society continues to expand across America, with those who refuse to go along subject to recriminations and reprisals.
That's what's happening to students at John Jay High School and Anson Jones Middle School in San Antonio whose parents refuse to have their children tracked by school officials.
According to reports, the school districts implemented new rules Oct. 1 that require each student to attend classes with photo ID cards embedded with a radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip, so officials are able to track every pupil's location. Educators have said the requirement is necessary to stem rampant truancy, which is, in turn, taking a huge chunk out of the school's funding. If the program is eventually judged to be effective, officials plan to roll it out to all 112 schools in the district, covering some 100,000 students.
Kids who won't wear the ID trackers - which are supposed to be carried in pockets or around the neck - complain they are being targeted by teachers and are not permitted to take part in certain school functions. Some have even said they have been refused entrance to common areas like libraries and cafeterias.
Mark of the beast?
One student, Andrea Hernandez, a sophomore at John Jay, said in an interview that educators have turned a deaf ear to her pleas to respect her privacy and have told her she can't participate in school elections if she doesn't comply with the tracking program (apparently the Constitution really isn't taught in many U.S. schools these days).
In an interview with Salon, Hernandez said subjecting herself to such continual monitoring was like being branded with "the mark of the beast," a Biblical reference to the Book of Revelations.
Later, in a separate interview published by WorldNetDaily, Hernandez said the school responded by threatening her with the loss of her right to vote in the school's homecoming king and queen contest for disobeying.
"I had a teacher tell me I would not be allowed to vote because I did not have the proper voter ID," Hernandez told WND. "I had my old student ID card which they originally told us would be good for the entire four years we were in school. He said I needed the new ID with the chip in order to vote."
Upon refusing to wear the RFID-chipped ID, the web paper said Deputy Superintendent Ray Galindo fired off a statement to her parents: "We are simply asking your daughter to wear an ID bad as every other student and adult on the Jay campus is asked to do."
If she still refused; he went on, later repercussions would be stiffer than merely revoking her rights to vote in homecoming contests once the school decides to make the monitoring a mandatory attendance rule.
"I urge you to accept this solution so that your child's instructional program will not be affected. As we discussed, there will be consequences for refusal to wear an ID card as we begin to move forward with full implementation," Galindo wrote.
Steve Hernandez, Andrea's father, told WND that the school seemed somewhat willing to work with his daughter, but went on to say the family is simply unwilling to "agree to stop criticizing the program" and endorse it publicly.
"I told him that was unacceptable because it would imply an endorsement of the district's policy and my daughter and I should not have to give up our constitutional rights to speak out against a program that we feel is wrong," Mr. Hernandez said.
Profiting from privacy destruction
But there's money in tracking and privacy violation, you see - at least in this case.
The Northside Independent School District is set to collect north of $2 million in state funding to revise its poor attendance records; the RFID program will cost only about a quarter of that amount, with another $136,000 in annual maintenance costs.
But that money will likely not offset damages from unintended privacy violations on the back end: Heather Fazio, of Texans for Accountable Government, told WND she filed a Freedom of Information Act request regarding the program, for which she paid a $30 filing fee, and received the names and addresses of every student in the district.
"Using this information along with an RFID reader means a predator could use this information to determine if the student is at home and then track them wherever they go. These chips are always broadcasting so anyone with a reader can track them anywhere," she said.
A spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union told the local San Antonio Express-News earlier this year her organization expects to file a legal challenge to the tracking program.
But Rebecca Robertson, who is with a local branch of the organization said that, "the ACLU of Texas will not be able to represent you or your daughter in this matter," saying the case did not meet the group's criteria.
Sources:
http://www.wnd.com/
http://www.theblaze.com/
http://rt.com/usa/news/
Learn more: http://
That's what's happening to students at John Jay High School and Anson Jones Middle School in San Antonio whose parents refuse to have their children tracked by school officials.
According to reports, the school districts implemented new rules Oct. 1 that require each student to attend classes with photo ID cards embedded with a radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip, so officials are able to track every pupil's location. Educators have said the requirement is necessary to stem rampant truancy, which is, in turn, taking a huge chunk out of the school's funding. If the program is eventually judged to be effective, officials plan to roll it out to all 112 schools in the district, covering some 100,000 students.
Kids who won't wear the ID trackers - which are supposed to be carried in pockets or around the neck - complain they are being targeted by teachers and are not permitted to take part in certain school functions. Some have even said they have been refused entrance to common areas like libraries and cafeterias.
Mark of the beast?
One student, Andrea Hernandez, a sophomore at John Jay, said in an interview that educators have turned a deaf ear to her pleas to respect her privacy and have told her she can't participate in school elections if she doesn't comply with the tracking program (apparently the Constitution really isn't taught in many U.S. schools these days).
In an interview with Salon, Hernandez said subjecting herself to such continual monitoring was like being branded with "the mark of the beast," a Biblical reference to the Book of Revelations.
Later, in a separate interview published by WorldNetDaily, Hernandez said the school responded by threatening her with the loss of her right to vote in the school's homecoming king and queen contest for disobeying.
"I had a teacher tell me I would not be allowed to vote because I did not have the proper voter ID," Hernandez told WND. "I had my old student ID card which they originally told us would be good for the entire four years we were in school. He said I needed the new ID with the chip in order to vote."
Upon refusing to wear the RFID-chipped ID, the web paper said Deputy Superintendent Ray Galindo fired off a statement to her parents: "We are simply asking your daughter to wear an ID bad as every other student and adult on the Jay campus is asked to do."
If she still refused; he went on, later repercussions would be stiffer than merely revoking her rights to vote in homecoming contests once the school decides to make the monitoring a mandatory attendance rule.
"I urge you to accept this solution so that your child's instructional program will not be affected. As we discussed, there will be consequences for refusal to wear an ID card as we begin to move forward with full implementation," Galindo wrote.
Steve Hernandez, Andrea's father, told WND that the school seemed somewhat willing to work with his daughter, but went on to say the family is simply unwilling to "agree to stop criticizing the program" and endorse it publicly.
"I told him that was unacceptable because it would imply an endorsement of the district's policy and my daughter and I should not have to give up our constitutional rights to speak out against a program that we feel is wrong," Mr. Hernandez said.
Profiting from privacy destruction
But there's money in tracking and privacy violation, you see - at least in this case.
The Northside Independent School District is set to collect north of $2 million in state funding to revise its poor attendance records; the RFID program will cost only about a quarter of that amount, with another $136,000 in annual maintenance costs.
But that money will likely not offset damages from unintended privacy violations on the back end: Heather Fazio, of Texans for Accountable Government, told WND she filed a Freedom of Information Act request regarding the program, for which she paid a $30 filing fee, and received the names and addresses of every student in the district.
"Using this information along with an RFID reader means a predator could use this information to determine if the student is at home and then track them wherever they go. These chips are always broadcasting so anyone with a reader can track them anywhere," she said.
A spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union told the local San Antonio Express-News earlier this year her organization expects to file a legal challenge to the tracking program.
But Rebecca Robertson, who is with a local branch of the organization said that, "the ACLU of Texas will not be able to represent you or your daughter in this matter," saying the case did not meet the group's criteria.
Sources:
http://www.wnd.com/
http://www.theblaze.com/
http://rt.com/usa/news/
Learn more: http://
Just how would that cut down on truancy? "oh they gave us RFID cards, better grab it and go to school"
ReplyDeleteYeah right, more like leave it at home and go out to the beach and blaze a few like any other day.
They would have a real problem with me I wouldnt let my kid have 1 in his or her posession Id slice and dice it the 1st day I seen it
DeleteWhat would they blaze? The Burning Man!!
DeleteI fill that its great that the schools are doing this. There are so many kids that just dont go to school and parents find out to late. Also i think that it will help law enforcement when these kids are there is good and bad things in every thing in life.
ReplyDeleteOr, Get this. Don't because it violates The constitution. Oh wait, I forgot, The government got rid of that. I'm glad I was home schooled from 4th grade on and I'm doing just fine. If anyone can track who is to stop the feds from tracking you as they do by phone or email. Its just another step towards the end in my opinion, and even if it isn't toward the end, its still violating personal liberties so either way you're wrong in this argument.
Deleteor they could just do roll call in class like they do anyway
DeleteReally? Really? you think its a good idea ? Have you not heard of the mark of the beast? these things have serial #'s, might it be 666, I don't know, but I will tell you one thing. Over my cold dead body will they implant my kids , let alone try to do it to me eventually. I cannot believe these Sheeple that don't get whats REALLY happening. God Bless us All.
DeleteThe rampant spelling errors in Laurel's post make me think it's satire. Either that or going to school doesn't really help much anyway. Homeschooling seems to be the solution to both big government and bad spelling.
DeleteThe school is worried about VOTER IDs? Since when does anyone holding elections of any kind in the US worry about VOTER IDs? Take your chip and SHIOVE IT.
DeleteHome education is a viable alternative. If everyone did it where would the funding go then?
ReplyDeleteJust wait; next thing you know, they'll be making homeschooling illegal because it cuts down their paychecks.
DeleteWhy should the school district have any information about a child's location outside of school hours? Have them badge in and out without a tracking device if you're really concerned about truancy.
ReplyDeletetodos han de negarse
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not American! and by the looks of the way things are going in the states, the states the last place on earth I would want to send my child to school is the states. We as people have rights, we are not animals..it shocks me to see that Americans are being treated as such.
ReplyDeleteTechnically we are animals... but other then that statement i do agree with you. This article saddens me because it's just outlandish, and a complete disregard of our personal rights. Unfortunately I am American though.
DeleteDon't think for a second that this will only exist in America, it all has to start somewhere...coming to a neighborhood near you
DeleteIf a cellphone can cause a person to have cancer and brain tuma's..Imagine how harmful to your systems the frequency of the chip will be.
ReplyDelete:facepalm: Already scrapped... http://www.ibtimes.com/rfid-school-tracking-badges-scrapped-texas-controversial-program-had-virtually-no-effect-student
ReplyDeleteThe kids should take and wear them the first day and all the boys trade with all the girls. On the second day take them and leave them in your first period class under your chairs all day. On the third day leave them at the bottom of the school swimming pool. Get creative and have fun with them, but you must all do something together! One school could trade with the other school. Take them all to the local police department. You have a brain, think about it!
ReplyDeleteYes, and the day will come when it is mandatory to have the chip placed in the child.
Deletenice blog..i think its more okay and its good for all the students..its also for their safety
ReplyDeleteHow is that different then my job id? I need it to gain entrance to specific areas at work and my hand is scanned to get paid? join real life here people its nothing more then most of us already do this to get paid from our employers.
ReplyDelete