“Tagging” U.S. Schoolchildren

A Houston school district wants to tag their students with badges containing computer chips so they can foolow every move the student makes. This sounds like a police state and not a way to keep track of them

Houston’s Spring Independent School District “is equipping 28,000 students with ID badges containing computer chips that are read when the students get on and off school buses,” reported the November 17 New York Times. “The information is fed automatically by wireless phone to the police and school administrators.” Police can monitor children from the time they leave home to their arrival on campus.

www.thenewamerican.com...

I think this is taking things way to far! Placing tags on children to keep track of them is one step up from branding or tagging animals,what ever happen to the old fashioned way of remembering who the students are and checking them off a name list, this is one more way to turn people into nameless faceless non people. It sounds more like a prison than a school!

why don't they just take it a national level and have congress pass a bill to keep track of every human being - reminds me of minority report with the eye scanners.

I think they are slowly trying to bring this tagging into place gradually and slowly so we don't notice, before we know it we will all be inbedded with some kind of computer chip or other unless we take steps to stop it now.

I totally agree. I wonder what their parents say.

Brilliant..

Its an excellent way of monitoring the students. I imagine if they can monitor location then they will be able to trigger an attandance for each class they enter as well.

It also means they have a practical method of seeing that the student has infact come to school by boarding the bus.

They will need to make the carrying of onother students ID a strong punishment, to deter skipping school.

Otherwise it gets the thumbs up from me, more power to the school for taking the action. If students don't like it then they can always go t anoher school.

Netchicken, montitoring the children is one thing, but tagging them is totally different, isn't it prisoners who are on in house jail or on probation also tagged like this so their whereabouts are always known. Does this not strike you as a little too overbearing? How would you like to live your daily life constantly being watched and followed. Every move you made would be duly noted, even going to the mens, or ladies room would be covered, privacy would become a thing of the past!

Sound like a parent to me!

Posted in November. This is just the beginning of a massive effort in tracking. RFID chips, Mu Chips, GPS and Mu chips in our cell phones. Next in passports, IDs, etc.

www.abovetopsecret.com...


www.nytimes.com...


[edit on 12/16/2004 by infinite8]

Maybe they're just trying to make sure that when a kid gets kidnapped and taken off to a sex dungeon that they get an early warning. Or maybe they want to make sure that their gets get to and from school safely, or that the wrong kids don't get on the wrong bus. This technology has allways been out there, heck they could've just made them sign their name or something. This doesn't mean that its going to be applied to the general public.

I think It's a brilliant idea, It would be even better if they had a chip in everyone, It would certainly stop alot of crimes from happening.

You really want to live in a world where your every move is under scrutiny? Don't you realize how different your life would be? You would think twice about every move you made. Even if criminal intent what not what you had in mind. It would not stop there, they would moniter every move in your life, what you did for a living, what stores you shop in, what bars you go to. What church you attend and what activities you enjoy.Even what people you hang around with, everything would be studied and wrong conclusions would occur! You would be classified by your actions.

You care to much about what other people think about you. A simple GPS chip that information could only be looked up only if you were under the suspicion of doing somthing illegal. It would undoubtely save alot of inoccent people from being 'put away' for doing things they did not do. And would 'put away' people that did the crime and got off on a technicality.

Thor, I do not care what other people think of me! What I care about is the loss of privacy and the right each of us has to live our own life in our own way, without our every move being subject to scrutiny! It is not the fact that they would watch our every move, but the fact that they could!

It is beyond that now, there are too many 'wrong doers' In this world today. For the greater good I would accept having a chip inside me, however this is just my opinion.

I guess I am more of an optomist than you are I believe that most people are basically good, I also know that you cannot "tag" people like animals and keep the freedoms we all enjoy! I also know that tagging people would result in a very changed society!

Whats all this crap about privacy about?

Schools are legal guardians of students during their time there. Students HAVE no privacy. It would be very handy to be able to see if students are meeting in the toilets during class time, or that little Johnney hangs out in the last cubical, which just happens to have graffitti and post smoke in it

Its not as if its 24hrs a day, its just a tag they wear when they go to school.

So would you rather have kids with ultimate privacy who can do what they want during school time? Just how many parents would agree with that?

When your kid goes to school want to KNOW that he is at school attending all his / her classes, not hanging out down the mall or getting into trouble elsewhere.

Its a responsible action by a responsible School. More power to them. Kids can leave thier tag at home after school then do what they wish, but during school time they are the schools responsibility.

[edit on 16-12-2004 by Netchicken]

Everything you just said could be taken care of just as easily by having teachers who actually do their jobs and pay attention to their students.

This is just another way for people in places of reponsibility to avoid having to put the effort into doing their jobs right.

Put the responsibility for caring for kids where it belongs, on the parents and teachers, not machines.

That is scary. This has to be breaking the constition in some way right, breaching of privacy, or something, will something alond these lines be included in the Patriot Act 2, i hope not.

No one no how is gonna tag me anytime soon. Remember Germany, in WW2 they used to tag people as well. ALlthough it was not just a card but I think of it as the same thing.

When kids go to the bathroom during class, how easy would it be to "accidently" leave your pass in your seat? I think security cameras would serve better in this situation.

---pineapple