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.

[Moose4]

Well, I'm creeped out.

}:-)4

[1john2 3and4]

Creepy, yes. But think about it....

There is no way that today's kids are having the kind of childhood that I had. Why? Too many sicko predators.
Coupled with the PC hand-wringing, you know, the idea of rehabilitation.....as opposed to actual punishment *gasp*!

I got yer caring lib utopia right here!
Meanwhile, children have childhood stolen!

Parents can't take their eyes off their kids for one minute anymore because of our sick, sick culture.

[Happy2BMe]

6-6-6 PING.

____________________________________

Advocates of the technology said they did not plan to go that far. But, they said, they do see broader possibilities, such as implanting RFID tags under the skin of children to avoid problems with lost or forgotten tags. More immediately, they said, they could see using the technology to track whether students attend individual classes.

[backhoe]

From the Grooveyard of Forgotten Posts:

The Eye in the Sky... looking at *You* - thread II

[gridlock]

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

[Fierce Allegiance]

This is not much different than the electronic ankle bracelets parolees have to wear while on "house arrest"

Man, I would have never gotten any of the log cabin forts built when I was a kid if the cops could track my truancy!

Scary stuff - there is no limit to the control the government is trying to impose. Black boxes in cars and rfid chips in every man, woman & child.

I am kind of surprised the government is letting us discuss this!

[ladylib]

"Mr. Steinhardt said schools, once they had invested in the technology, could feel compelled to get a greater return on investment by putting it to other uses, like tracking where students go after school."

Simple, ditch the tags, hide them under a rock, and pick them up the next day.

[af_vet_rr]

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

[babaloo999]

I dunno, because you're paranoid like me?

[green iguana]

Simple, ditch the tags, hide them under a rock, and pick them up the next day.

Simple, put the tag on the ground, smash them with a rock, and then do with them whatever you like.

[green iguana]

they could see using the technology to track whether students attend individual classes

I guess teachers in Houston are too stupid to handle taking attendance?

[MeekOneGOP]

bump!

[B4Ranch]

Here is a kid that will certainly be undergoing mental evaluations! Ornery little snot. Who the hell does he think he is?

>>Some older students are not so enthusiastic.

"It's too Big Brother for me," said Kenneth Haines, a 15-year-old ninth grader who is on the football and debate teams. "Something about the school wanting to know the exact place and time makes me feel kind of like an animal."<<

[JOAT]

The same 'publik skools' that constantly whine about 'lack of resources' feel spending those precious resources to tag the kids like cattle is a wise investment.

Hmmn. Could there be a wee bit more to this than meets the eye?

[Happy2BMe]

"I guess teachers in Houston are too stupid to handle taking attendance?"

________________________________________________

This isn't about keeping track of children missing a scholl bus. This is about keeping track of where their parents are after the kids leave for school (and all the in-between times).

First the kids. Then the parents.

It's that simple.

[FBD]

"Simple, ditch the tags, hide them under a rock, and pick them up the next day."

Nah, you can have this thing implanted right under your childs skin, at the wrist. No ditching it then....for life!

Better yet, you can get yourself implanted too, for all your electronic banking and commerce.

You won't need a wallet for ID, as they can just scan the back of your hand, and voila! Your credit card, your drivers license, all of you, right there on a tiny little embedded chip.

Right now, this company (Verachip) is being plugged to be used for "Homeland Security", and is a "tamper proof personal Identification" Oh, I almost forgot...it can track you via satellite.

What a wonderful, wondrful technological world we live in! By the way...you can get chipped right now...

Step right up, Sheeple!

---

www.4verichip.com

VeriChip™ - There when you need it

"The VeriChip miniaturized Radio Frequency Identifcation (RFID) Device is the core of all VeriChip applications. About the size of a grain of rice, each VeriChip contains a unique verification number, which can be used to access a subscriber-supplied database providing personal related information. And unlike conventional forms of identification, VeriChip cannot be lost, stolen, misplaced or counterfeited.

Once implanted just under the skin, via a quick, painless outpatient procedure (much like getting a shot), the VeriChip can be scanned when necessary with a proprietary VeriChip scanner.

A small amount of Radio Frequency Energy passes from the scanner energizing the dormant VeriChip, which then emits a radio frequency signal transmitting the individuals unique verification (VeriChipID) number.

The VeriChip Subscriber Number then provides instant access to the Global VeriChip Subscriber (GVS) Registry - through secure, password protected web access to subscriber-supplied information."

This data is maintained by state-of-the-art GVS Registry Operations Centers located in Riverside, California and Owings, Maryland.

[Just another Joe]

Simple, ditch the tags, hide them under a rock, and pick them up the next day

In October, the Food and Drug Administration approved use of an RFID chip that could be implanted under a patient's skin and would carry a number that linked to the patient's medical records.

Oooops, a little hard to ditch this type.

[gridlock]

OK, I take back my previous comment. You can have too much security. I think the happy medium for school aged kids is more along the lines of SmartCARD proximity reading ID's, but somewhere short of universal implanted ID chips.

[FBD]

Yes, but...(so goes the argument) Smart cards can be lost, or stolen, or other people can use them.

Now this implanting...that's totally...safe.

That's the logical next step.