By Brent Daggett Contributing writer for End the Lie Texas sophomore, Andrea Hernandez, has been involuntary withdrawn from John Jay High School due to her refusal to participate in the district’s Smart ID program. Note: be sure to check out...
August 22, 2013 - Virginia beach, Virginia - Today Hire America is taking issue with the objections to the use of RFID enabled identification badges in American schools. One of the arguments offered by school officials was with regards to the RFID badges improving student safety and I agree with this statement. RFID enabled badges have been REQUIRED for U.S. employees for YEARS, and this is one of the primary means of controlling access to workplaces across the country. Does it improve safety, of course it does, because the only less monitored entrance to many facilities is the Loading Dock where vendors deliver goods and packages are received.
RFID badges also enable employers to know specifically which employees are inside a building in the event of an emergency such as a fire, incident of workplace violence o other situation. The only downside to RFID badges is the common practice of not requiring employees to "badge out" when they leave a building, which would further serve to maintain an accurate list of employees in "real time".
I find the idea any person could equate the use of electronically responsive identification as being a "mark of the beast" absolutely ridiculous! Seriously? If this were anywhere near being true then the student in Texas, Miss Andrea Hernandez, would also have to object to the use of Social Security number and Driver's License, both desired, expected and accepted means of identifying individuals and controlling expenses in our modern society.
Society advances in its evolution by means of trial and error, and through the use of MOSTLY sensible laws proposed by elected officials of citizens actively engaged in the legislative process, or through similar means.
The BEFORE IT'S NEWS article (November 26, 2012) cited in this column also feature a statement of, "While there is an expectation of supervision and guidance in schools, monitoring the detailed behaviors of individuals can be demeaning." and Hire America believes this is a completely and utterly meaningless statement!
School is all about monitoring the "detailed behaviors" of individuals in every manner! Students are required to arrive at a specific time of day, enter the building through designated doors (not windows), adhere to an established Dress Code not disruptive to the educational process, refrain from the use of illegal substances, not engage in cheating, ask permission to visit the bathroom during instructional periods, study specific subjects, test the quality of the educational material through quizzes and exams and report any unexpected illness if it impacts their ability to do ALL OF THESE THINGS! There are surveillance cameras in use, law enforcement Resource Officers assigned to many schools and Facial Recognition software will probably be added to identify students in the nea future. So of course the detailed behavior of student is being tracked!
Recently Judge Orlando Garcia issued a ruling supporting the intent of the identification badges issued by the Northside Independent School District (San Antonio, Texas) as the District consented to remove the GPS or automatic tracking feature of the badge issued to Miss Hernandez. This is a compromise for the student and her stated religious beliefs, but it also makes her vulnerable to abduction and exploitation while entering, residing on or leaving from the school District's properties. I hope the District's legal counsel makes Miss Hernandez's parents sign a legal liability waiver with regards to the added protection she would have received from the District by means of an RFID badge with "active" monitor capabilities. This puts the burden back on them, at least partially, and supports the idea we all live in a "cooperative society" with laws and protections which benefit us if and when we consent to participate in them.
Hire America believes not only should student be required to wear RFID badges, but that every door to the school be equipped with the magnetic locking mechanism necessary to secure them and control access to the building. It is good for students, reassuring to parents, positive for school District employees and hopefully reduces the chance of an unauthorized person entering the building and taking hostages or injuring students!
~ From the office of the Chief Blogging Officer (CBO)
Mail Online (U.K.) article (January 9, 2013) on this subject.
