This tag is probably already in your dog.

Two schools in Texas have begun implementing a new form of student ID.  This “Identification Card” does much more than just provide a form of identification for the student, it actually tracks their current location. These ID cards are known as RFID’s, or radio-frequency identification cards.  RFID’s give school administrator’s the ability to see where the students are physically located at any given time of day.  This tracking program was started by the school district in an effort to keep the students in school and to reduce truancy.  People hope that this tracking program will increase daily attendance and lead the school district to save as much as $175,000.  This amount is lost daily due to low attendance from the students.  Higher attendance could also lead to an increase in state funding of up to $1.7 million.  Furthermore, this tracking program will increase student security and safety, increase attendance, grant access to various parts of the school, as well as influence purchasing power within the school.

Although this tracking program may be beneficial to the school district, as well as the students, many students and parents do not agree that it is appropriate.  One student from John Jay High School in Texas refuses to wear the new ID, stating that it is against her religious beliefs.  She feels that the badge is an invasion of her privacy and makes her feel uncomfortable.  I would feel the same way. The school district has threatened to “suspend, fine or involuntarily transfer students who fail to comply.”  I would have hated having to wear a tracking device during high school, or even now.  It is an invasion of our privacy and rights as a human being.  Who’s to say that in a couple years the U.S. Government won’t make it mandatory for its citizens.  If it’s starting in schools, what’s next?