Parents fight school over mandatory RFID on kids

[Teresa]

What do you think about this?


February 10, 2005

A school in California has declared that chipping its
young pupils is mandatory - and parents are furious
about it.

Brittan Elementary School in Sutter, California,
introduced a scheme last month to use RFID to identify
its pupils. The RFID chips are worn around the neck in
the form of ID badges and can be used to monitor where
the children are on school grounds, and carry the
child's name, photo, grade and unique school ID
number.

A recent letter sent home to parents from the school
said: "It is important the badge be worn at all times
during school hours. This additional step will help
keep your child safe while at school."

The letter concludes: "Students who lose or destroy
their badges will be accountable for the cost of
replacing them."

According to the school's weekly bulletin, the system
allowed the staff to find when a non-student was in
the school, due to the interloper's lack of badge. The
bulletin also says the RFID tags could be used to help
identify any missing children in the event of an
emergency.

The newsletter adds: "Questions have arisen regarding
the safety of the materials used in the badges. The
chip that is used to activate the attendance of a
child entering a classroom does not have any
radioactive elements."

Parents aren't just complaining about the chips on
health grounds, they're complaining about the civil
liberties implications too.

Michael Cantrall, parent of one of the children at
Brittan Elementary, said: "Are we trying to bring them
up with respect and trust, or tell them that you can't
trust anyone, you are always going to be monitored and
someone is always going to be watching you?",
according to a report in the Associated Press.

Some parents have complained to the school authorities
about the use of the tags and civil liberties groups,
including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, have
taken up the cause.

Principal Earnie Graham told the AP that he hopes to
add a barcode to the RFID tag to allow the children to
pay for meals at school and take out library books. He
said that while the whole school must wear the badges,
only the seventh and eighth graders are being tracked.

http://www.infowars.com/articles/ps/rfid_parents_fight_manditory_kids_rfid.htm

[DanCookson]

Glad your on top of that ma.  I'll sleep better tonight.

[Teresa]

STOP IT!!!

I just thought it was something that would invoke conversation... lol lol
Would you be more inclined to be interested if they had an ID tag on your goat?
lol???

Actually the website had a tracking article on guns that Kjell is checking out...
so I had found that on there too... so there!

[Mom70x7]

I've seen pictures of the badges - they appear to be plastic cards on a lanyard around the student's neck.

I don't like the idea of them when used like that.

As far as keeping track of kids - what's to prevent the student from taking off the id badge, putting it in a restroom (or some other semi-logical place) and skipping school? Or giving their id badge to a friend so that the friend has 2 badges (one in a pocket or backpack) and the student again skipping school or going where he or she doesn't belong.

And if the school wants to keep strangers out, why not monitor the doors? Watch who comes in?

Letting students have an ID card isn't a bad idea. Making it a "charge" card for the library and lunchroom also works for me. That could be incorporated into lessons on credits cards when they're adults.

I guess I just don't like the around the neck thing or the reasoning. Maybe it's a good idea with poor presentation and public relations.

[Teresa]

I agree with mom70x7... Good concept... but too many holes in the "what can be done to get around it".
**whisper mode on**.. I would be the one that would talk someone into wearing mine so I could have snuck down to the bridge to go swimming for the afternoon...**whisper mode off**
Ohhhh I am glad I didn't have to raise me...
Hats off to my saintly wonderful Mother.. who didn't kill me.. and who didn't commit suicide before she got me raised.. 

[Janet Harrington]

I'm sure you know or maybe not, that Wichita schools use ID cards for their students and yes they are worn on lanyards around the neck.  I don't see a problem with that.  The card has in big bold letters what school it is with the school year and a big colored picture of the student.  I think it is a great idea.  We use ID cards at work with our photos etc.  I carry my key card in it that let's me in and out of the door to the sheriff's office.  To get into the jail, I have to call, beg, whine, whatever.  And sometimes they get me trapped between the outside door and the inside door.  That space is called a security vestibule and they (my officers) think it is a hoot.  Anyway, I don't see a problem with the ID cards with pictures.  I don't think they need to go so far as the security chip.  After all, our children are not animals.  Well, maybe some are.

[Teresa]

Children aren't animals dear TaTa...
You are just remembering the men you have dated...

(ohhh I really crack myself up sometimes.)

[mtcookson]

if its for school security i just say put one of these at each door


with as accurate as the tracking system sounds it seems as though if one kid were to wear theirs and another's tag the system would show two people walking together going to the same classes constantly which i'm sure would easily allow the kid skipping to be caught.

leaving the tag in the bathroom or something along those lines would show no movement which would definitely cause major alarm as they wouldn't be sure if the person was hurt or sick or something along those lines so would check it out immediately. could actually help to keep kids from skipping school... not that it matters with a lot of taday's ciriculum...

[Janet Harrington]

I don't think that those chips need to be put in these cards.  That's just kind of stupid.  Just about everywhere you go, though, you see business that have people's id's that they wear around their neck.  I saw some today that were from Raytheon.

[Teresa]

leaving the tag in the bathroom or something along those lines would show no movement which would definitely cause major alarm as they wouldn't be sure if the person was hurt or sick or something along those lines so would check it out immediately.

Hmmmmmm~~ so what you are saying my dear nephew is that I will have to take my tag off and hang it on a fan that was blowing and  revolving , that would cause movement so no one become suspicious of me being gone.. !
Yessssss... I think that would work...
Swimming hole..here I come.....
Last one in, is a rotten egg!!!