Commentary
Big Brother is going to school with your child today.
- by Kelly , January 11, 2008
A Rhode Island school is testing a student-tracking system by putting computer chips on grade-schoolers’ backpacks and a GPS system in their school buses. Also, parents are given a choice as to whether or not to participate in the pilot program.
As shocking and "big brother-ish" as this program sounds... I support it. Especially since the parent(s) have a choice to participate in the program or not. Granted, I am not a Mom, but I do have a niece and a nephew and I think programs like this will adopted by other schools and we will see the need for them more in the future.
Do we live in a scary world? Yes. Have we always lived in a scary world? Yes. But here's the difference... I know when I was little I was able to be looked after by my family members after school when my parents had to work. That's not the case now. The baby boomer generation, who are now grandparents, are still working. And not because they want to...
Also, most households today require two incomes, therefore both parents have to work. When both parents are working this obviously makes it difficult for them to keep track of their children when they are not around to do so.
With technology evolving everyday, it's good to implement programs like this that will utilize our tech savy equipment to protect children and keep them safe. Now, would I want a chip attached to me 24/7? No. But I'm an adult and unlike a child, I am able to take care of myself. So, is this program a good idea...or not?
I think this is a great idea so long as parents don't use it for petty discipline. If a parent uses the tracking abilities for something other than the child's safety, the child will "forget" the tracking device at home or find a way to sabotage it. And then the parent just has a false sense of security, which is much more dangerous.
I wonder if they're even going to tell the kids, depending on how old they are... In any case, it's a good idea. Lord knows how many child abductions occur in the fifty feet between the school doors and the school bus.
As Ben Franklin stated, those who are willing to sacrifice liberty to gain "security" deserve neither and will lose both. This big brother idea makes me uncomfortable. Security of your youth is something everyone wants, but costs should be considered.