Tracking Students The grade school that required students to wear radio frequency identification (RFID) tags that can track their every move has ended the program because the company that developed the technology pulled out.
"I'm disappointed; that's about all I can say at this point," stated Earnie Graham, the superintendent and principal of Brittan Elementary School. "I think I let my staff down." The tags, developed by Sutter-based technology company InCom Corp., were introduced in January 2005.
Each student was required to wear identification cards around their necks with their picture, name, grade, and a wireless transmitter that beamed their ID number to a teacher's handheld computer when the child passed under an antenna posted above a classroom door.
The system was imposed, without parental input, by the school as a way to simplify attendance-taking and potentially reduce vandalism and improve student safety. "I'm not convinced it's over," parent Dawn Cantrall, who filed a complaint with the American Civil Liberties Union, told the (Marysville) Appeal-Democrat.
"I'm happy for now that kids are not being tagged, but I'm still fighting to keep it out of our school system. It has to stop here." While many parents criticized the tags for violating privacy and possibly endangering children's health, some parents supported the plan. "Technology scares some people; it's a fear of the unknown," parent Mary Brower told the newspaper. "Any kind of new technology has the potential for misuse, but I feel confident the school is not going to misuse it
Questions
1. Explain the fundamentals of RFID and how it is being used to track students.
2. Describe the ethical dilemmas involved with tracking students with RFID.
3. Identify two types of wireless business opportunities schools could take advantage of to help improve operations.
4. How could RFID help schools deal with potential security issues?
5. Develop a Bluetooth, GPS, or satellite product that schools could use to improve operations.
6. Determine a way that schools could use RFID tags without violating privacy rights.