Posted on 02/18/2010 11:47:18 AM PST by freespirited
Very true. So, did the administrator contact the student’s parents? Or did she just pull the student aside, and then HE told his parents? Maybe no one ever expected a student to “rat himself out” to his parents, thus never expecting parents to ever find out.
OMG, I can’t seem to get enough of this story... lol. I’m sounding really paranoid now. Then again, this whole story is insane.
My guess is that she counted on the student not wanting to make an issue of it with his parents so as not to embarrass himself.
She probably didn’t count on the kid seeing this as an opportunity to get back at the school.
Apparently, back in 2008, a group of students in Lower Merion were fighting to stop the laptop program from being implemented:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=14634429454
They didn't seem to have concerns about surveillance. But, here's what they did say:
The Lower Merion Technology Department has proposed that every student at Lower Merion High School / Harriton High School receives their own laptop starting next year.... We believe that the main reason for this is that the school district does not want to be held responsible for the damage / theft of the laptops. Each student will have to pay an insurance fee and will have to carry around the laptops all the time, and return the laptops at the end of every school year for programming (the hard drive will be erased).
So, apparently, there were laptops already available to students in these schools. But, the district decided to issue one to each student and require (?) the students to carry the laptops with them, just like books, from class to class. (?) Could it be they were using them to watch what students were doing while in school? Just another creepy thought.
I wonder if those receiving the “free” telescreen had to sign papers acknowledging the transfer? My guess would be yes. It would be interesting to see what evils are hidden deep in the fine print. Did they sign away any privacy rights by signing that paper?
Interesting.
Making the kids carry it around all the time and paying an insurance fee for something they had no choice about receiving isn’t something I’d be thrilled about either.
You know, with the money that community is purported to have, likely the majority, if not all, of those kids had laptops or computers at home anyway. And for the few who didn’t, they could use the school computers for any internet access, just like the kids in our community do.
There was NO justifiable reason that I can think of for the school to issue these to every student. It really makes you wonder what their real reason for insisting on something like this was.
It makes their actions even more suspicious now, finding out that they were apparently using it to spy on kids.
Did you read post 39?
That’s the one. It seemed so high tech at the time, but looking at it now reminds me of an Ikea display.
February 22, 2010
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://philadelphia.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel10/ph022210a.htm
Inquiry into Lower Merion School District Activating Web Cams on Student Issued Computers
United States Attorney Michael L. Levy and FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Janice Fedarcyk announced today that the United States Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation would be involved in the inquiry into allegations that the Lower Merion School District activated web cams on computers issued to students. Ordinarily, federal law enforcement agencies do not confirm the existence of an investigation. The Department of Justice does have an exception for matters that have already received substantial publicity, or where the community needs to be reassured that law enforcement is investigating the incident.
Levy said, “We intend to work as a team with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, the Montgomery County Detectives, and the Lower Merion Police Department to determine if any crimes were committed. The issues raised by these allegations are wide-ranging and involve the meeting of the new world of cyberspace with that of physical space. Our focus will only be on whether anyone committed any crimes. At this point, very few facts are known. Our first responsibility will be to conduct an orderly investigation to learn the facts. Only then, will we be able to make any judgments regarding violations of the laws. We do not intend to comment any further before our investigation is complete.”
I would write the initials "F.U." in tiny letters on a piece of transparent tape and stick that on the lens.
"They" that watch can take a picture of that.
They interviewed the student on Fox News. It started when the administrator accused him of drug dealing, using the webcam picture as her 'evidence.' He told some of his friends, and they told him to tell his parents.
My guess is that the administrator was planning to kick him out for "drugs". She thought it was a slam-dunk... but he was eating Ike and Mike candy.
I would bet he would test clean for drugs and pass a lie-detector test. Unfortunately he has to subject himself to further violations of privacy to clear his name.
I didn’t know there was an interview of the family. After I saw your post, I looked and found this video:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6224813n&tag=related;photovideo
I don’t know if that’s the same interview. But, based on that video, I’d agree the student’s story is credible. He seems like a nice kid.
I meant to ping you, too, in case you missed this interview, like I did:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6224813n&tag=related;photovideo
The boy and his side of the story sound believable to me.
That is up to the DA and the FBI and I understand both are now looking into this.
I agree. However, his hair is a bit long, and maybe he wears his pants a little too low, and my guess is that is what got him targeted.
He is outside of the mainstream, or what they deem proper. All the other kids are preppy, which is okay with this tony school.
The message to students these days, especially in the senior grades, is "conform to what we want you to be, or else we will ruin you." They expect their victims to lie back and take it. They don't expect their victims to fight back.
I've seen that with friends of my kids even in this small town where everyone knows everyone else. The kids who stand up and speak out get targeted by the school, teachers etc.
The worst are actually non-teachers, teachers aids, teaching assistants, & computer lab personnel. It seems that the lower the rank, or pecking order, or whatever, the more bluster and arrogance and less concern for the students. Some of those are real gestapo and nasty as all get out.
The irony is that they are using their brains and critical thinking skills, and this is their reward for being a free-thinking, honest, independent, American individual.
The school system is BORG, no doubt about it. Resistance is futile. /sarc
I hope, this time at least, that whole collective gets their asses thrown in the can.... after a trial, of course.
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