For it is a human number......

[Gob]

A court challenge has delayed plans to expel a Texan student for refusing to wear a radio tag that tracked her movements.

Religious reasons led Andrea Hernandez to stop wearing the tag that revealed where she was on her school campus.

The tags were introduced to track students and help tighten control of school funding.

A Texan court has granted a restraining order filed by a civil rights group pending a hearing on use of the tags.

ID badges containing radio tags started to be introduced at the start of the 2012 school year to schools run by San Antonio's Northside Independent School District (NISD). The tracking tags gave NISD a better idea of the numbers of students attending classes each day - the daily average of which dictates how much cash it gets from state coffers.


Introducing the tags led to protests by some school students at John Jay High School - one of two schools out of 112 in the NISD catchment area piloting the tags.

Ms Hernandez refused to wear the tag because it conflicted with her religious beliefs, according to court papers. Wearing such a barcoded tag can be seen as a mark of the beast as described in Revelation 13 in the Bible, Ms Hernandez's father told Wired magazine in an interview.

NISD suspended Ms Hernandez and said she would no longer be able to attend the John Jay High School unless she wore the ID badge bearing the radio tag. Alternatively it said Ms Hernandez could attend other schools in the district that had not yet joined the radio tagging project.

The Rutherford Institute, a liberties campaign group, joined the protests and went to court to get a restraining order to stop NISD suspending Ms Hernandez.

A district court judge has granted the restraining order so Ms Hernandez can go back to school and ordered a hearing next week on the NISD radio tag project.

The Rutherford Institute said the NISD's suspension violated Texan laws on religious freedom as well as free speech amendments to the US constitution.

"The court's willingness to grant a temporary restraining order is a good first step, but there is still a long way to go - not just in this case, but dealing with the mindset, in general, that everyone needs to be monitored and controlled," said John Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute in a statement.

Mr Whitehead said student tagging and locating projects were the first step in producing a "compliant citizenry".

"These 'student locator' programmes are ultimately aimed at getting students used to living in a total surveillance state where there will be no privacy, and wherever you go and whatever you text or email will be watched by the government," he said.

[rubato]

Mexico, sell them to Mexico.

yrs,
rubato

[Grim Reaper]

It's cute how they want to tighten funding by wasting money on what could be accomplished with a roll call.

[Scooter]

The tracking tags gave NISD a better idea of the numbers of students attending classes each day - the daily average of which dictates how much cash it gets from state coffers.

Did they ever think of, gee I don't know, taking attendance.

The notion of being tagged like livestock is degrading, and the notion that most parents would go along with it is disturbing.

[Rick]

More premillennial tripe...

[dgs49]

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

...means anything you want it to mean, I suppose. Who's going to speak up for the poor Rastafarians who are prohibited by Federal law from practicing their religion?

[Rick]

So a school ID is cool but let it be able to track you isn't?

You are big supporter of a national ID requirement wouldn't that be the same?

[oldr_n_wsr]

You know what realy bothers me about this. It is the same people who were all rebellious and anti-establishment in the 60's and 70's ARE the people implementing this.

Home Room
Attendence
Each class, attendence


Can't do that?
Next thing you know they will have to wear gps ankle bracelets.

[Jarlaxle]

Much ado about nothing. Any RFID can be disabled by the simple application of a 12V battery and a lawnmower magneto. Just let the smoke out of it.

[Gob]

A Texan student who refused to wear a badge with a radio tag that tracked her movements has lost a federal court appeal against her school's ID policy.

The radio chips track attendance, which in turn helps secure school funding.

But Andrea Hernandez, 15, stopped wearing the badge on religious grounds, saying it was the "mark of the beast".

After John Jay High School suspended her, she went to court and won a temporary injunction to continue her studies at the school, without the tag.

The federal court ruling overturned that, saying if she was to stay at the school, she would be required to wear the badge. Otherwise, she would have to transfer to a new school.

The new identification policy at the Northside Independent School District (NISD) in San Antonio, Texas, began at the start of the 2012 school year.

John Jay High School is one of two schools piloting the programme, which eventually aims to equip all student badges across the district's 112 schools with radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips.

The badges reveal each student's location on their campus, giving the district more precise information on attendance.

The daily average of the attendance is related to how much funding each school receives.

But Miss Hernandez said the badge was the "mark of the beast", as described in chapter 13 of the Book of Revelation in the Bible.

[Crackpot]

Not a surprise she was offered and rejected a non-RFID badge

[rubato]

wrap it in foil.

yrs,
rubato

[Gob]

What's to stop the kids from pinning the badges onto the school geek and then bunking off?

[rubato]

Or just making an 'arrangement' with one student who is going to class anyway to take all of the RFID tags while everyone else ditches?

It's a win-win-win. The school gets paid for the ADA numbers (average daily attendance), the students get to use their time more usefully, and the teachers don't have to waste time with taking attendance (or even caring).


I like it.

yrs,
rubato

[Long Run]

But Andrea Hernandez, 15, stopped wearing the badge on religious grounds, saying it was the "mark of the beast".

She missed the mark: so evil, it needed another 6:

Christian Science Reading Room

6666 SE Milwaukie Ave, Portland OR 97202