Tag Archives: surveillance

Texan Community Forum: RFID Tracking of Students in Schools

Posted on February 14, 2013 | Leave a comment

On Monday 25th February Texans for Accountable Government (TAG) are having a “Community Forum: RFID Tracking of Students in Government Schools“.  public-forum

It is good that open debate is happening.  That it has been generated by the community is completely commendable.  Shame on the Northside Independent School District (NISD) for not instigating an open discussion before RFID location tagging children and allowing a student’s education to be displaced.

Here in the UK, openess on RFID tagging children in education is woefully lacking too.

We have some extremely sophisticated technology available to us as a society; we need to use it responsibly and honestly with open debate ensuring respect and provision for those who do not wish to consent to its use.

“For the first time since being implemented in August 2012, the “RFID Student Locator Pilot Program” will finally be vetted by parents, students, and community members.

In San Antonio’s Northside Independent School District (NISD), nearly 4,000 children have been issued “Smart ID” badges implanted with an active RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tracking device. NISD has refused to offer a public forum for parents to ask question and voice concerns, so TAG has organized one.

Presentations will be offered by a number of subject matter experts, including Dr. Katherine Albrecht- a Harvard graduate who has done extensive research on RFID, Mike Wade- RFID manufacturer, and (tentatively) a representative from the Texas ACLU.

The second half of our event will offer attendees an opportunity to ask questions of our presenters.

All NISD board members (including Dr. Wood, Superintendent) have been invited to this event in addition to the Principals of the schools which have implemented this pilot program.”

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Posted in Debate, RFID College, RFID school, RFID tracking, RTLS, USA

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Video of RFID Real Time Location System in UK college

Posted on February 8, 2013 | Leave a comment

West Cheshire College, UK, have active RFID chips in students lanyards for a registration and building management Real Time Location System that enables the college to pinpoint the students precise position on the premises.

This location system enables the college to search for students and staff “in groups, such as peer groups.”  It is unclear whether students are tracked to personally sensitive areas, such as showers, school nurse, etc.
Against RFID in schoolsHere is a short 2 minute promotional video of the RFID system, thought to be the first of its kind used in education in the UK.
http://www.zebra.com/us/en/solutions/research-and-learn/success-stories/westchesire-college.html (Zebra Technologies have removed this link from their site, March 2013 and a copy of it can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orPLM0C0nmU.  West Cheshire College claimed this infringes copyright and has been removed from Youtube and again on Vimeo)

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Posted in Real Time Location System, RFID College, RFID school, RFID tracking, RTLS, Tracking children, UK, West Cheshire College

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Three US state lawmakers introduce bills to ban RFID in schools

Posted on January 26, 2013 | Leave a comment

Northside Independent School District’s expulsion of student, Andrea Hernandez, this month has demonstrated how RFID application might save school dollars but clearly does not work in the fact that it has affected one students education.  Has it really been worth the saving in money the schools district claims will happen in the light of the fact John Jay High school discriminated against a child for refusing to take part in the RFID programme.?

With the religious, privacy and ethical issues involved here we look forward to seeing how the debate goes with the below bills filed in Texas recently that would prohibit RFID in state schools.

We have this technology and we cannot undo the technology but we need to use it responsibly and respectfully – which is why an open and honest debate is required.

TexasHB101 – introduced by Rep. Lois Kolkhorst and Rep. Cindy Burkett in November 2012
– Where a school district may not require a student to use a RFID device or similar technology to transmit information about the student or track the location of the student.
– Where a schools district may allow voluntary use of RFID
– Schools districts must provide an alternative identification

HB102 – introduced by Rep. Lois Kolkhorst and Rep. Cindy Burkett in November 2012
– A school district may not require a student to use a RFID device or similar technology to identify the student, transmit information or track the location of the student.

SB173 – introduced by Senator Craig Estes in January 2013
– A school district may not require a student to use a RFID device or similar technology to identify the student, transmit information or track the location of the student.

From My Antonio – Kolkhorst said she thinks the Legislature needs to debate the appropriateness  of that use, which she hopes will happen now that Northside’s pilot program has  drawn scrutiny.  Kolkhorst said her bills on the issue in the past haven’t been able to make  it out of committee.

“I am concerned that this technology can be very dehumanizing,” Kolkhorst  said. “I really don’t like how parents don’t have much input and think it is an  example of government overstepping its bounds.”

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Posted in Civil liberties, Court, Discrimination, Ethical, Legal, Legislation, Privacy, Real Time Location System, Religious, RFID children, RFID school, RFID tracking, RTLS, Tracking children, USA

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School refuses students request

Posted on January 26, 2013 | Leave a comment

A recent Federal Court ruling sided with a Texan school, John Jay High School, Northside 01-18-2013_Hernandez_Letter from Rutherford Institure1Independent School District, in that it was acceptable to discriminate – to the point of expulsion – a student, Andrea Hernadez, for refusing comply with the RFID programme the schools runs.

This image to the right is a letter Andrea wrote yesterday to her school – which speaks volumes. (From the Rutherford Institution’s website.)

From the Rutherford Institute – On January 18th ‘in a phone call delivered near the end of the day before a long holiday weekend, school officials at John Jay High School informed Andrea Hernandez that they would not be granting her request to stay at the magnet school.

In coming to Andrea’s defense, Rutherford Institute attorneys alleged that the school’s attempts to penalize, discriminate and retaliate against Andrea violate her rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.’

It is difficult to believe that in this day and age, with the knowledge of what discrimination can potentially do in our society, that the school district have pursued this course of action.  It is clear to me that the school district’s priority does not lie in the care of education, or respect for the teaching the children in it’s community but in budgets and stamping their authority to a point of overriding children’s and families religious beliefs.

Andrea with her family and supporters I think here have exposed that there is a desperate need for an open and honest discussion of issues on the use of RFID in schools.

(The ‘Position Paper on the Use of RFID in Schools ‘ August 21, 2012 details issues surrounding RFID in schools)

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Posted in Discrimination, Legal, Protest, Real Time Location System, Religious, RFID children, RFID school, RFID Tags, RFID tracking, RTLS, Tracking children, USA

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RFID Journal pulls article on UK college RFID tracking students

Posted on January 11, 2013 | Leave a comment

After four recent Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to West Cheshire College about their RFID real time location system (RTLS) the college answered the first FOI request, though some detail was lacking, and replied to the second Freedom of Information request informing that there would be no answer from them as there “has not been a reasonable interval since your initial request”

Freedom of Information Act 2000Erm… there is no exemption in the Freedom of Information Act 2000 that mentions time period between FOI requests.  Maybe West Cheshire College should let a member of staff who is knowledgable about their legal obligation under the Freedom of Information Act deal with FOI requests  – not their Press Office who wrote the refusal to reply.

Coincidentally within a 24 hour period of West Cheshire College’s refusal to answer FOI requests, the article in the RFID Journal ‘West Cheshire College Tracks Whereabouts of Students, Staff,’ that details the RFID system the college uses was pulled from the internet.  (A pdf of the article can be found here)

This was one of only two source articles which detail West Cheshire College’s RFID system.  The other article is on the suppliers website, Zebra Technologies.

Maybe its a wild coincidence but it seems that there is clamp down of what exactly is going on at West Cheshire College.

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Posted in Freedom of Information, Legal, Media, Real Time Location System, RFID College, RFID tracking, RTLS, Tracking children, UK, West Cheshire College

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