Book Report ? for Public School (Fingerprinting)

self | 04/22/02 | self

[hsmomx3]

I was in a conversation with a friend of mine about her 3rd grader's science report.

He is to write a report on fingerprinting. For this report, the child is to fingerprint five individuals, per the teachers request. Not only are the parents and this child participating in the fingerprinting, but the teacher gave my friend names of classmates to be fingerprinted for this report as well.

My suggestion was that they DO NOT fingerprint any child without the parents permission.

Am I wrong about this?

The purpose of the fingerprinting is to allow the third grade class to see how fingerprints are different for everyone.

[hsmomx3]

My friend thanks you for your comments.

[GovernmentShrinker]

The public schools certainly do inspire some paranoia, mostly well-justified. I don't see any reason why this assignment requires identifying the individuals who are fingerprinted; is the assignment actually requiring this? I see no problem with a child being asked to go get fingerprints from five random people, but if the assignment requires that they be identified, I think the parent should have the child opt out of that part. The fingerprints will be just as different from each other without names attached.

[IronJack]

I'd fingerprint the family cocker spaniel, the teacher, the police chief, Bill Clinton, and my buttocks.

[dixie sass]

In the third grade? Studying fingerprints in science? That doesn't sound quite right. I think I would have to take a look at the what the teacher and school is up to. In fact, I believe that I would want to see the child science book.

The little boy next door is in the third grade and he is have basic earth science.

[hsmomx3]

Funny you should ask.

It seems that this teacher gives the students a list of topics to choose from and the child picks one topic and gives the topic name to the teacher. The teacher in turn sends home a letter to the parents about the assignment. Yes, the teacher did put names on this letter of the kids who could/should participate in this project. The teacher said that she would need five participants.

[hsmomx3]

It's not so much that the assignment called for the fingerprinting, it was the teacher who requested it. She gave the parents a checklist of things the child needs in order to complete his assignment.

[nothingnew]

So did the fingerprinting kit come with the banana/condom kit?

FMCDH!

[Ross Amann]

This seems wildly inappropriate for 3rd grade.

[Hodar]

Why not? The US Gov't already has your child's prints on file (it's called a Birth Cert). The school probably already has a set too, depending on the state. How can this possibly hurt anyone? It can serve as a lesson for the children to see that everyone's prints are different, how fingerprints are taken, and how individual and unique we each are. I see more paranoia here, than I do at the homeless shelter just a scant few blocks from where I work. Which is interesting in and of itself, as I work for a High Tech company (doesn't get a whole lot more high tech, than this), and we are allegedly in a high rent area of Seattle .. and there's a homeless mission just a block down the street.

[hsmomx3]

Birth Cert.? There are no prints on birth certificates where we live. Also, before anyone wishes to have prints, info., etc. from a minor child, they should seek the approval of the parents. JMHO.

[dasboot]

Fingerprints are science. The study leads to examinations of statistics (Francis Galton), comparative analysis (matchng), interesting stories: Roscoe Pitts; twins, separated at birth, reunited decades later in a state pen, and identified as the same person by means of the Bertillion system (physical measurement....the twins were easily discerned by fingerprinting); the early use of fingerprints by the paymaster at gold mines in California to prevent duplicate wages; etc.

Fingerprints are used for many good things (like solving murders....God approves), and their recovery and examination is a lot of fun.

[ibbryn]

This sounds like an appropriate science lesson plan for third grade students. All fingerprints, and all snowflakes, are different. Why not let the kids learn this?

And how about using this as an opportunity to educate the kids on the importance of NOT sharing their prints with anyone from the government. Try to educate the kids on the importance of maintaining their privacy and keeping their prints, ids and numbers OUT of the government registry. Make this into a lesson on civil liberties, the 4th ammendment, biometrics and the appropriate role of government.

I'm not a good enough educator to tell you how to do this in three paragraphs on FreeRepublic, but if I had a third grader in public school I'd sure be working THIS lesson plan, "for the children."

[ibbryn]

My suggestion was that they DO NOT fingerprint any child without the parents permission.

And be sure to have the third grader explain to the other kids WHY. Third grade is not too young to start developing a healthy mistrust of our government --grin--.

[Cindy]

#1. In my opinion, parents should pull their children out of public school and teach then at home (homeschool) or put them in a good private school. #2. Fingerprinting is a science and can be artistic too. Children have fun learning the science of fingerprinting AND TAKING HOME THEIR OWN FINGERPRINT CHARTS to show their parents.

WorldNetDaily.com: "THE HIJACKING OF EDUCATION" -Commentary by Eric Hogue

AGAPE PRESS: "FLORIDA SCHOOLS BATTLING PRO-HOMOSEXUAL EFFORTS" by Fred Jackson and Rusty Pugh (041902)

PACIFIC JUSTICE.org - PACIFIC JUSTICE INSTITUTE - Press Release: "SCHOOL INVITES PLANNED PARENTHOOD WITHOUT PARENTAL NOTICE"

CHARISMA NEWS.com: "SCHOOL'S NON-DISCRIMINATORY RULE OPPOSED"

[chaosagent]

Many states put the infant's foot prints on the original birth certificate.

[dasboot]

Oh yeah...

If your friend and his/her kid want to have some real fun, call your nearest medium-sized local police department and speak with the guy(s) who is the resident fingerprint expert. Tell the technician about the project and ask for an appointment to drop in and have him give a brief presentation on the subject.

These are not impositions: rather they are a valuable training tool for the expert as the most important part of the job is explaining the science to interested lay-persons (like jurors, who often think at the third-grade level).

I did a four-year stint as a crime scene guy at a municipal department, and once a week I had kids--grammar school through college-age--coming into the office for a fingerprint science lesson. The younger kids were the most challenging, but the best experience for developing a good "rap".

I also used to do presentations to school classes: the tech may be interested in something like that for the class.

During my four years I racked up 36 convictions on crimes from auto theft, burglary, bank robberies to home invasions, fraud and carjackings. I put some bad people in jail using fingerprints. They're a unique , intresting tool. The negatives for privacy are self-evident when one knows the device and its qualities. Good luck!

[dasboot]

And I homeschooled my kids, too. But that consideration was outside the four corners of the query.....but I'm with you.

[ODDITHER]

ALthough, it is probably a benign request, both the student and the teacher should be respectful of the concerns. There should be concerns!!!!

If the teacher was just requesting a cross sampling of finger prints, she should have no objection to the student numbering the fingerprints instead of attaching a name.

In fact by requiring that this is done, she could also use the experience to talk about "blind" samples. A lesson in how people are used for experments without their identity becoming a potential factor in the results. The teacher could teach about privacy issues and claims and the students responsibility to honor privacy. It could be a great experience for all.

If the teacher is using the student to gain information otherwise not at her disposal, you will soon find out when the teacher becomes upset when the parent calls her up and voices her concerns.