In Texas, 28,000 Students Test an Electronic Eye

new york times ^ | 11 17 04 | MATT RICHTEL

[freepatriot32]

SPRING, Tex. - In front of her gated apartment complex, Courtney Payne, a 9-year-old fourth grader with dark hair pulled tightly into a ponytail, exits a yellow school bus. Moments later, her movement is observed by Alan Bragg, the local police chief, standing in a windowless control room more than a mile away.

Chief Bragg is not using video surveillance. Rather, he watches an icon on a computer screen. The icon marks the spot on a map where Courtney got off the bus, and, on a larger level, it represents the latest in the convergence of technology and student security.

Hoping to prevent the loss of a child through kidnapping or more innocent circumstances, a few schools have begun monitoring student arrivals and departures using technology similar to that used to track livestock and pallets of retail shipments.

Here in a growing middle- and working-class suburb just north of Houston, the effort is undergoing its most ambitious test. The 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. The information is fed automatically by wireless phone to the police and school administrators.

[monday]

"I'm e-mailing this article to my child's school principal. You can't have enough security, in my book."

It is your job to provide security for your child, not the governments. If the government tries to, it will be neither cheap nor effective, and will cause problems we can not yet even imagine.

[gridlock]

It is your job to provide security for your child, not the governments...

My child's school principal does not work for the government.

[gridlock]

ID Cards have a big picture of the individual on the front, to prevent another person from using them. No system in automated. You will always need eyes on the ground to verify the cards are not misused.

[Robert Drobot]

This Big Brother motion detector chip is OK by me, provided it isn't linked to a national ID card, and no statute, agency regulation, or so-called executive order demands effected humans must carry the chip on their person at all times.

Surveillance of non-criminal Citizens of America SUCKS - unless it is the will of an individual Citizen or that Citizen's parent/guardian!!!

[ForGod'sSake]

Here we go! I happened to note a couple comments by students. Where are the parent's comments? I wonder. Really.

Hey Meek, you wanna ping yer list to see what some of the Spring, Tx Freepers might have to allow???

FGS

[FBD]

"First the kids. Then the parents."

http://www.4verichip.com/


>"yep. and the hordes waiting to line up for it with little thought."<

Yeah, the sheeple types always get sucked in by the "It's for the children"

[Robert Drobot]

You a cop?

[ForGod'sSake]

My child's school principal does not work for the government.

Really now?

FGS

[ErnBatavia]

Why do I think this isn't going to stop with schools.

I think some variation of this technology is in order.......at the Al Jazeera headquarters; maybe then we can bag, snag, or track some beheading video couriers.

[monday]

good

[1john2 3and4]

Yes, but given what we know of human nature (& allwe know about how "efficient" gubmint is....well, as someone said so eloquently....

AYE CARUMBA!

[Dianna]

The 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.

How often are kids kidnapped while waiting for a school bus or after getting off a school bus? Both of these times are fairly busy in my neighborhood.

I think the media has made parents paranoid, with the help of other community members. The overwhelming likelihood is that my child is NOT EVER going to be kidnapped. So, stop with the identi-kits and special ID cards already!

[FBD]

Gridlock, you miss the point, entirely, FRiend.
This is just the next step in the govt. more closely monitoring the law abiding citizens.

I have an old Social Security card.
Care to guess what it says on it? I'll tell you:
"For Social security and Tax Purposes- Not to be used for identification"

Now, FRiend...when was the last time you *didn't* use your Social Security number for ID purposes, on a loan, for credit card accounts, etc???

You can't even get a cell phone account anymore, without them asking you for your SSN#.

Follow the logical conclusion: If social security cards were NEVER *intended* to be used as I.D.'s, (and now they are)then do you understand that this is merely a starting point to an eventual conclusion of required ID tags, then *eventually* required ID chips?

[Old Professer]

Swapping of I.D. badges brings an automatic suspension, I'm sure.

[FBD]

>"I'm stunned that so many would be willing to be lo-jacked."<

- They are sheeple.

And sheeple eventually will expect everyone else to go along with them, due to their herd mentality.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

I'm e-mailing this article to my child's school principal. You can't have enough security, in my book.

HUH????????! You like brainwashing your kids into thinking that Big Brother will track them all their lives with the RFIDS?!

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

http://www.spychips.com/ - RFID Privacy Website

http://www.nocards.org/ - Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering

Stop RFID in its tracks before we're all bugged