School using GPS to track students that skip

[Nouw]

Kids should surrender their phones for GPS tracking as a mandatory precaution.

Keeping track of where you are is useful to prove your innocence.

Mmhmm, having an alibi you can prove can be useful.

As T.V. and movies taught me >.>

 

[viranimus]

Well privacy and human rights issues aside, I do not see this being effective. I know when I worked in EMS and we switched over to GPS installed trucks, Crews were finding ways to screw with the tracking system within the first week.

Here's a thought. Most kids these days have cell phones. More often than not, the phone has some kind of built-in GPS device. Why not, for simplicity and cost effectiveness' sake, just use the GPS devices the kids already have?

As for Cellphones being a GPS device? Well, some cells certainly have a GPS device built in, however not all of them do. And much like above, if its related to kids, it would not take long for kids to start screwing with the tracking.

I honestly do not understand why we think there is some importance or relevance to being able to locate any individual at any time.

 

[Watchmacallit]

I think the parents might decide whether its voluntary...I mean parents use gps systems already to track their kids.

 

[breadlord]

Thank God that I'm a senior in high school now. This sound terrible.

Also, why would they track the kids at 8 pm? Are the school teacher planning on raping them?

 

[Dogstile]

Hey guys, optional GPS. But if you don't use it, we're fining you $2000

TROLOLOLOLOLOLOL

 

[theriddlen]

Plain nonsense. What's the point of this? Would it result in anything positive? I don't think so.

 

[sseh2661]

I think that the schools should be spending the money on something more practical, like hiring better teachers or buying better computers. not making the students feel like there in a prison.

 

[chris11246]

To the people who say they shouldn't waste money
"The GPS devices cost $300-$400 each. Overall, the six-week program costs about $8 per day for each student, or $18,000. ... Because schools lose about $35 per day for each absent student, the program can pay for itself and more if students return to class consistently."

I don't know if those figures are right, I certainly don't know where the $18,000 comes from, but if that's true the GPS's will pay for themselves if the work.

Also from what I read they don't always transmit your location. They only transmit when you send it, so it wouldn't really be a privacy issue. Although the main thing is this would probably be a last resort. It's certainly not gonna be used every time someone skips and the $2000 fine was probably already there to make sure that parents would actually care that their kids aren't going to school, some parents don't. This is probably just an alternative. I really don't see this as bad as long as its done right, especially because the kids will also have a coach which will try to help them. I say we see if it works before saying its evil, like actually rational people, and if it doesn't work then get rid of it.

 

[Antari]

Most kids are far too creative for this sort of scheme to work. Its folly.

 

[Terminate421]

Ill get Ferris Beuller! He can do something about it!

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

Ahahahahahaha, that's just creepy. I agree that skipping for stupid stuff is a problem, but GPS tracking? REALLY?

I've only ever skipped twice. Once because I forgot I had that class, and the second time it was a choice between go to a useless french class or use that time to finish up a super important Flash project that was worth 40% of my mark.

Ironically, we were given an extension, because my partner and I were the ONLY ones to have the project done on time.

 

[Zykon TheLich]

It's optional. That's about all there is to be said.

Hmmm... didn't the Simpsons do a sketch on this? Martin Prince sitting happily in his chair with a beeping tracker device stuck to his head?

 

[BENZOOKA]

Way too far. This yells for an Orwellian rant!

Unfortunately I'm all out of them.

 

[ham and red bull]

This is stupid, kids are smarter than that.
Also, people protest against cameras at stop lights, because of privacy concerns, but they let this shit fly?

 

[Fr]anc[is]

How the hell do schools lose money when students are absent? And what's stopping these kids from just throwing those expensive GPSs into the trash? If kids are going to skip, they are going to skip, talking to a guidance counselor is just going to irritate most of the kids anyway

 

[CarpathianMuffin]

Eh, I don't feel that much for or against it. There's better ways to spend the money, but I guess it's a useful thing for keeping ditching to a minimum.

 

[Blodlust]

Well it doesn't seem like the students are tracked via GPS the whole time so, I can't see how this is making kids not skip class. I mean if someone tried to give that crap to me when I was a kid I would just have trown the thing in the thrash first thing after getting it and still skip class.

 

[Jack Macaque]

I think 4 missed classes is not enough for something like this, this is for kids who miss say half their classes in a year, good for troublemakers too instead of smoking pot or something make them go to class.

 

[Saucycarpdog]

So the kid has to voluntarily carry the tracking device

It's optional.

<quote=Article>It's worth noting that while this anti-truancy program is very elaborate and almost invasive, it is also entirely optional. Students and their parents are offered the chance to voluntarily participate in the "monitoring as a way to avoid continuation school or prosecution with a potential stay in juvenile hall."

On top of that, parents would also be avoiding the $2,000 fine that can come from turning a blind eye to truancy if a school district chooses to pursue the issue.

Bolded parts remove much of the "volunteer" aspect of it, At least I would think. If your parents have 2 grand just floating around each time you want to skip school then more power to you.

You're much more observant than me. I actually missed that part.