Lo-Jack for students?

That’s what a large Houston, Texas school district has tested in two of its schools this year and will make mandatory for all students in the coming weeks. The reason? Well, school officials say due to overcrowding they need to keep track of the whereabouts of students for safety reasons.

So how does this work? There would be a small microchip embedded into a card, which students would wear on a lanyard around their neck during school hours. The card emits a radio frequency picked up by scanners positioned throughout the school. This program isn’t void of protesting parents and students that feel it impedes on their constitutional rights. However, those parents may be in for a shock when they realize that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in the past that some freedoms enjoyed by those outside of school are restricted when a student is in school, mostly for the safety of the student body.

Should a school be allowed to put GPS tracking devices on its students? It certainly sounds like an invasion of privacy and the ACLU, of course, is weighing in on the issue. This Texas school and all schools for that matter have a responsibility to keep our children safe. Supporters have argued that many schools are overcrowded and a lot of shenanigans can happen, such as fights, kids skipping school and even abductions. A device such as this could help to solve student issues and perhaps save a life.

I think it’s a mistake to create a card that acts as the main identifying mark of student. The role of administrators is to operate the school safely and teach our youth. However, with such high salaries of superintendents, they might want to consider alternative concepts, such as taking a pay cut and hiring a few more security personnel to secure the premises rather than eliminate a person’s identity.

But hey, it’s only my opinion. What do you think?

Is Big Brother watching you?

View Source