Yes Don, I'm familiar with that. It was misused and that was very wrong. It was meant to keep track of the laptops, which was technically a great idea, but the misuse was very wrong. A great way for parents to get around that is to get kids their own laptops, but many cannot afford it. I know we can't, but so many assignments require a computer! We lucked out in that my one daughter won a Mac Book Air in a contest at a mall. :thumbs:
But...I still think that's just part of the risk one takes if they can't afford modern requirements for school and still send their children. It's just what it is. The school has a right to do what they must to prevent theft, and some of this stuff is expensive!
No, I do not agree with using the cards to track truant students outside of school. Yes, students are smart and it doesn't require a lot of brains to hand the card to another student, stick it by something else the emits waves, put it in a metal box, or wrap/coat it in something that interferes with radio waves. That's why I said it is still important for it to work in conjunction, in the school, with visual monitoring and use both the teachers taking role, the cards being kept in one place and claimed at the beginning of the day, and if a student is missing or doesn't return from having been given a pass to the RR or their locker, the card will help determine that the kid is still on the property and safe.
No way do I agree with using it outside of school unless it is agreed to by the parents or guardians with a chronically truant student, but I don't see how that would even be logical if the cards are kept at school like they should be to prevent misuse and because a student isn't going to carry it around while they're ditching.
I think it would be wrong outside of school, without parental permission, because if they are not on school property, they are still under the authority of their parents and/or they have reached 18 and it would be an invasion of privacy. On more of a side note, I do not agree with truancy laws in the first place. If a teenager doesn't want to be in school, I feel they should be allowed to drop out. When you have even one student in a class who despises being there, it is unfair to the other students and to the teacher because the one (and usually more per class depending on school size) who do not wish to be there will disrupt the class and make it hard for those who WANT to be there to have a decent learning environment.
If it must be a law that they cannot drop out, another type of alternative school should be in place. There are alternative schools, but sometimes you get great kids in there too...they just learn better in a non-typical environment. Sometimes, straight A students choose the district's alternative school simply because they have a tough time fitting into the mainstream system.
If the law that teens must stay in school under threat of jail and/or fines to their PARENTS (also very wrong imo) then a totally separate school should be made for them. Or...just change the law. Right now, there are plenty of professionals that lost their jobs and are working minimum wage jobs. Let the students who don't want to go to school suffer the natural consequences of their actions in life. They can learn early that they have their own choices and that choices have consequences, like not being able to get a job or having a harder time later when they try to fix their wrong-doing. I won't call it a mistake because a mistake implies it was an accident or misunderstanding, and they know quite well what they're doing when they drop out.
