California School introduces GPS to track students.

[Mytical]

Mongo, the reason they have to enter a code is .. they can set it down. Most animals can't. Regardless of if in a collar or embedded, it is on them 24/7. However, the student could leave it in their room, go wherever they want..and it would show them in their room the whole time. If they have to enter a code, unless they can rig something up..it has to be on them. Of course..not that they couldn't give it to a friend, and have the friend enter the code....

[AccountingDrone]

Sorry, as much as I dislike homeschooling, I would remove my kid from a school that tried it. * pm, what the flying fuck is that nonsense. Though I might consider playing with them and keeping the tracker in the living room and deliberately when the kid is obviously at a school function out of town enter the tracking code.

Where my kid is outside of school hours is none of their damned business.

[DrFaroohk]

I don't like the not-accepting parents notes thing...I would think that a parent's authority trumps the schools...as in, "It's excused because I said it is and those taxes I pay are what pays your salary so go jump off a bridge if you don't like it."

And so what does the location indicator mean anyway? I don't like the sound of that. Some idiot teacher could see that you were at the mall, and think "Oh, she went to the mall so she's not really sick." Well maybe there's a rite-aid or CVS in the mall and that's where she got her meds. Or she's just looking at clothes, because she's very sick and that makes her feel better.

Stupid mentality - Too sick to go to school means too sick to do ANYTHING ELSE BUT LAY THERE AND DIE RAWWWWLLLL!

[Cheshire]

It's pleasant to see the schools funding this sort of technology to violate the privacy of underage students, whilst cutting the teachers pay.

It's almost as bad as the webcam fiasco...

[Rageaholic]

I don't like the not-accepting parents notes thing...I would think that a parent's authority trumps the schools...as in, "It's excused because I said it is and those taxes I pay are what pays your salary so go jump off a bridge if you don't like it."

And so what does the location indicator mean anyway? I don't like the sound of that. Some idiot teacher could see that you were at the mall, and think "Oh, she went to the mall so she's not really sick." Well maybe there's a rite-aid or CVS in the mall and that's where she got her meds. Or she's just looking at clothes, because she's very sick and that makes her feel better.

Stupid mentality - Too sick to go to school means too sick to do ANYTHING ELSE BUT LAY THERE AND DIE RAWWWWLLLL!

Exactly, and as I argued in another thread, it's asking NOTHING from the school district AT ALL. All they need to do is accept the reason as valid and mind their own business. It would take the same amount of effort as not accepting the reason, but with much less headache for all.

It's pleasant to see the schools funding this sort of technology to violate the privacy of underage students, whilst cutting the teachers pay.

It's almost as bad as the webcam fiasco...

Interesting point about the teachers pay, all the spy on the students.

What I'm wondering is what would happen if a student doesn't enter the code when they're supposed to. Particularly at 8:00pm when they HAVE NO BUSINESS MONITORING THE STUDENTS.

[Greenday]

Where my kid is outside of school hours is none of their damned business.

That I can most certainly agree with.

I don't like the not-accepting parents notes thing...I would think that a parent's authority trumps the schools...as in, "It's excused because I said it is and those taxes I pay are what pays your salary so go jump off a bridge if you don't like it."

And so what does the location indicator mean anyway? I don't like the sound of that. Some idiot teacher could see that you were at the mall, and think "Oh, she went to the mall so she's not really sick." Well maybe there's a rite-aid or CVS in the mall and that's where she got her meds. Or she's just looking at clothes, because she's very sick and that makes her feel better.

Stupid mentality - Too sick to go to school means too sick to do ANYTHING ELSE BUT LAY THERE AND DIE RAWWWWLLLL!

A little extreme. I bet if you were working and a boss said that to you, you'd be rather upset. Same as if a customer said it. But yea, if a parent says a kid is sick, the school should just take their word for it.

Location indicator means they have GPS coordinates of where the person is. They know the coordinates of the school and they'll know during the day the person is at school. I'm not really sure what else it would be used for but yea, that's the general gist.

If you are so sick that the only think that'll make you feel better is looking at clothes at the mall, you are fucked anyway and probably won't be living too much longer so why even be enrolled in school?

[Kimmik]

There was many a time that I was out sick and spent some of the day at the mall. The mall was a good place to stop and get lunch while I was out with my mother either because she had errands or I had an appointment. I have a screwed up immune system so I was out of school sometimes more then I was in school. The school tried to give me shit once... then my mother got a hold of them..Talk about not a pretty scene.. If they had tried to pull this with me my mother would have handed them their ass on a platter. I will do the same when and if my Squee attends school and they try to pull such stuff.

[Rageaholic]

A little extreme. I bet if you were working and a boss said that to you, you'd be rather upset. Same as if a customer said it. But yea, if a parent says a kid is sick, the school should just take their word for it.

I think it would be justified if the employee was questioning the boss on something that doesn't really affect him. Like if the boss was going on vacation or something and the employee tried to find out why are where he was going. The boss shouldn't have to explain to the employee (and I don't think the employers should be that picky either), but the fact that the boss is paying them (assume a small business), the employee has no right. Had it been something like the employees paycheck, then yes, they would have the right because it affects them, but there are certain areas that people should stay out of, the fact that they are paying them is even more of a justification to drop that like that.

Same thing with customers. If I was paying them for a service and had to ask their permission to do something, I wouldn't take it. What am I paying them for, to boss me around? That's the problem with the Public Schools, you're paying taxes to be bossed around by them. Even made worse by the fact that the schools are meant to benefit society, yet they are constantly screwing them over with all these stupid rules and restrictions. I wouldn't use the arguement to get everything I want, but when they cross a line into dictating you, I think it's a perfectly justified response.

[FArchivist]

That is a very costly policy for parents, isn't it? Both in time and money. To have to take time out of the day and pay for a doctor's visit when Junior is ill with a mere cold.

I have a feeling some parents ship their sick children off to school anyway. Gwinnett County schools must be a cesspool of infectious disease.

This often happens as most parents in Gwinnett County are both working and so don't have the time to fool with it. I do think our schools are oddly strict on that sort of thing; that policy is fairly common statewide and most schools are die-hard zero tolerance advocates.

I don't like the not-accepting parents notes thing...I would think that a parent's authority trumps the schools...as in, "It's excused because I said it is and those taxes I pay are what pays your salary so go jump off a bridge if you don't like it."

HA! Not in GA. Our schools are funded 90% at the local level by the property taxes of the county/area you reside in. All funds are allocated and directed by the Board of Education for the county/area and so the teachers can pretty much tell parents to go fuck themselves. (The local BOE is also why teacher's unions can't gain any bargaining power here. No tenure for you!) The BOE is elected, but they're usually constantly re-elected every year because it's a tiny salary/HUGE DISCRETIONARY FUND position and local government is very crony-based here.

What's really going to stick in people's craws is the new Mandatory Vaccination law, which dictates that the state may mandate vaccination for whomever they wish without legal recourse. The local BOEs are already demanding that mandatory vaccinations be made yearly and whoever's kid doesn't get them be barred from attending public school at all.

[Rageaholic]

HA! Not in GA. Our schools are funded 90% at the local level by the property taxes of the county/area you reside in. All funds are allocated and directed by the Board of Education for the county/area and so the teachers can pretty much tell parents to go fuck themselves. (The local BOE is also why teacher's unions can't gain any bargaining power here. No tenure for you!) The BOE is elected, but they're usually constantly re-elected every year because it's a tiny salary/HUGE DISCRETIONARY FUND position and local government is very crony-based here.

Isn't that still technically paying for it?

Even if it wasn't, I would still say that public schools are crossing a line here, as they do quite a bit.

What's really going to stick in people's craws is the new Mandatory Vaccination law, which dictates that the state may mandate vaccination for whomever they wish without legal recourse. The local BOEs are already demanding that mandatory vaccinations be made yearly and whoever's kid doesn't get them be barred from attending public school at all.

What vacination is this? It sounds pretty vague... or could that be the intention?

[AdminAssistant]

What vacination is this?

Seems like it's for the flu vaccine. I actually have an issue with this, as the flu vaccine doesn't seem all that effective. It only inoculates after certain strands of the flu (basically, the makers guess which strands will be the most contagious/powerful during any given flu season). You can still get the flu, plus the fact that the vaccine itself makes you sick.

This isn't the MMR or polio vaccine (which should always be mandatory, everywhere), but something that might, maybe, prevent you from getting sick for a week. Meh.

[Rageaholic]

Ah, well if that's the case, than I'm against it (thought I'd be against it, but want to make sure). Manditory vacinations should only be used as a last ditch resort to prevent a deadly spread and even then the vacination should be proven to be work. This vacination is neither necessary or proven to work so I don't know why this is being passed.

[Cheshire]

Ah, well if that's the case, than I'm against it (thought I'd be against it, but want to make sure). Manditory vacinations should only be used as a last ditch resort to prevent a deadly spread and even then the vacination should be proven to be work. This vacination is neither necessary or proven to work so I don't know why this is being passed.

Not to mention, the sheer number of extra vaccinations would further increase the evolution and resistance of the flu virus.

[FArchivist]

Seems like it's for the flu vaccine. I actually have an issue with this, as the flu vaccine doesn't seem all that effective. It only inoculates after certain strands of the flu (basically, the makers guess which strands will be the most contagious/powerful during any given flu season). You can still get the flu, plus the fact that the vaccine itself makes you sick.

This isn't the MMR or polio vaccine (which should always be mandatory, everywhere), but something that might, maybe, prevent you from getting sick for a week. Meh.

It actually went a bit further. I thought it did, so I went to check. From our state DeptEd:

All currently enrolled children entering sixth grade on or after July 1, 2007, must meet the following requirements:

1. Two doses of Measles vaccine, two doses of Mumps vaccine, one dose of Rubella vaccine, or laboratory proof of immunity against each of these three diseases.
2. Two doses of Varicella (chicken pox) vaccine or documentation of disease or laboratory proof of immunity. At the time your child entered school, only one dose of this vaccine was required.
3. Failure to meet the above vaccination requirements will result in
4. While medical exemptions are still allowed, religious exemptions may or may not be accepted in accordance with the local policy of the school system in question. Should the religious exemption fail to be accepted, entry into the school system will be barred.

[Greenday]

The only requirements are a MMR shot and having had the chicken pox?

Kids there are getting off easy. I've gotten MMR, polio, DPT, had the chicken pox, plus a couple others just to be in public school.

But that's just it, you want a free education, you have to follow the guidelines for it. And asking for a measley MMR and chicken pox is quite easy. I dislike the flu shot but I was lucky enough when I got it for this job I had no effects.