FL Schools Go Minority Report On Students, Give Parents Opt Out Choice Afterward
from the scan-you-see-the-problem? dept
In past discussions around the use of technology to achieve school security, we have typically found that the practice has more to do with money than safety. Such was the case when a Texas school district issued RFID-chipped student IDs, the impetus for which was actually all about receiving government funding based on attendance. While there was backlash from students and parents in that case, the ire was likely somewhat muted by the fact that these were still basically just ID cards with a little extra juice in them.
The situation is quite different in the case of Polk County, Florida schools, which instituted compulsory iris scans of its high school, middle school, and elementary school students, and then sent out a letter to parents announcing they could opt out after the scans had already been completed.
Reports were confirmed Wednesday that Daniel Jenkins Academy, a high school, Davenport School of the Arts, a middle school, and Bethune Academy, an elementary school, planned a pilot scan program with a security program and the schools allowed officials from Stanley Convergent Security Solutions to take iris scans of an unknown number of students. Parents of the students were sent a letter on Friday, May 24, although the letters were dated for delivery the day before. The letters stated that the scanning program would begin on May 20, and allow for students to opt out. However, all students were scanned before any letters were sent home.There is a saying that goes something like this: Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. While public school administrations can often be found rife with the latter, the lack of judgment in this case seems unbelievably grotesque. Anyone with a modicum of sense simply had to know that scanning irises of students was going to raise at least some controversy. To supercharge that by conducting the scans a full three days before a letter informing parents was scheduled to go out, and four days after it actually did, reeks of masochism. Add to that anyone on the lower levels of the operation, who might not be aware of the late-arriving letter to parents, not batting an eye when there wasn't a single instance of parents opting out of the procedure and you have the kind of cauldron of dumb that keeps private schools in business.
To add insult to injury, parents are reporting that attempts to get answers from the school are about as useful as a wedding ring is to the Pope. One particular parent was hilariously directed by the school, which should have had the answers to questions about procedures conducted on its students, to instead contact PCSB, the county school board.
By the time we were able to make a phone call to PCSB (a time span of about 1 hour), the secretary told us that this pilot program had been suspended. When we did get a return call from one contact, she reiterated that the program has been suspended, like this should appease us. My husband continued to ask where our son's private scans were, and she said the company was instructed to destroy the information. When we asked how do we know this has happened, there was no answer.The district has since claimed that all records and scans from the program have been destroyed, but hasn't bothered to offer any method for parents to confirm this claim. So now we get to endure the resulting suspicion and resentment that is likely going to go unresolved. The district will claim error, parents will stay outraged, and the lawsuits will likely fly. All because the schools couldn't be bothered to tell parents their children were going to have their irises scanned.
It is interesting that this letter went home on Friday afternoon at 3pm. Like I told you originally, everyone was gone by 4pm when I tried to make calls. So when exactly did this program get suspended? As of Friday afternoon, it was still in effect. Are they trying to say that somehow it was suspended by Tuesday morning (Monday being a holiday)? It seems like they are mostly focused on this program, like the program was the problem. It's not, it's the invasion of my family's Constitutional right to privacy that is the problem, as well as the school allowing a private company access to my child without my consent or permission. This is stolen information, and we cannot retrieve it.
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Filed Under: consent, florida, iris scans, students, surveillance
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We can show that the kids were in school, so this is a good thing. - in the mind of administrators.
They did it for (the cash they get) the children.
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I see absolutely no point to this, unless the feds give the school money for having computerized attendance, but then, why iris scanners, why not something a little... cheaper ?
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It is just another responsibility punt.
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Just like in football, you can only punt responsibility so many times before you end up losing the game.
The question is, have we already lost?
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then they got paid and it went downhill from there.
They no longer care much if the kids are in class, as we seen in the statements from the TX school with the RFID tagged badges... it just made sure they were in the school and recorded that number to make sure they got the funding for having x bodies in the building.
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You know what the real problem is? Schools that have so many students that they think need a retinal scanner to know who belongs. If the school was reasonably sized, the teachers would simply recognize any students that weren't supposed to be there, and it would also help if the school wasn't so huge that there are many places to hide.
And how does this make students safer, anyway? Most students, if they are going to shoot up a school, do it to their OWN school. They'd PASS the retinal scanner, because they're a student there. Wouldn't you be better off with a metal detector?
And now I'm wondering how long it takes for each student to go through a retinal scanner line. If you have 600 students and each one takes 6 seconds at the scanner, that's an hour.
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The fact they were unable to explain the program to the parents shows an absolute failure to think, someone told them this was the bestest thing ever and they believed them.
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it's lawsuit time
In addition, the school officials involved should be fired and blacklisted for life from any job involving contact with children.
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Re: it's lawsuit time
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Re: Re: it's lawsuit time
I am quite certain that a number of private attorneys will be more than happy to file lawsuits on this.
I personally would love to hear justification for this, hell even getting Top Secret Clearance from the government doesn't require an Iris scan.
Unfortunately, some poor technically inept school leaders were probably sold a 'security system' that was 'foolproof' and went "Wow, I will be a hero and the kids will be safe" (As if).
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Re: Re: Re: it's lawsuit time
How do the bozos at the school PROVE the scans were destroyed?
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I like what my dad had to say...
"Damn educators. They have less intelligence than a turnip."
From reading this article it apparently hasn't changed.
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but
The problem is malice can typically be fixed by up-bringing, stupidity is something we must cull from the genepool.
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Re: but
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Paradoxically, trying to cull said genes would also be anti-social and to whom do you give that power?.. Slippery slope.
In the end, anti-social people should just be kicked out of society. If they don't want to participate and help, then GTFO.
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Imagine, if you can...
OK? Now pretend it's the early eighties, and it's Soviet Russia instead of Florida... Now, gauge your reaction.
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Re: Imagine, if you can...
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hmm...
And what kind of teachers are at this school? There was nobody teaching at this school that looked at the morning schedule, saw "scan everyone's eyes for future use" and said "what the heck are we doing?". It's way past the time that we raised the bar a bit on hiring teachers.
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Re: hmm...
What's sad is that this is a school system and they are more concerned about money than their students.
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Re: hmm...
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Re: hmm...
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Not one student was allowed to say NO on their own. The sad thing is most of the students were led to the scanner like sheep and they put up with it. Never even questioned it. Sad.
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First, not all parents are OK w/ some institution having the iris scan. The typical "privacy" concerns. Iris Scans are supposed to be unique identifiers (not sure how even that works w/ twins).
Second, & probably more importantly, there is a potential danger w/ Iris Scanners. Why do you think they're not totally widespread yet? Most, if not all, Iris Scanners are laser devices. How many parents do you know who would be OK w/ a laser scanning (or the assumption of laser scanning) their child's eye/s for any reason? What if it malfunctions? Most parents would assume there would be a [slight] risk of blinding, whether justified or not. & theoretically, if the power output of the laser glitched & the level or duration increased, then you get to eye melting or brain penetrating concerns.
& the parents weren't informed of any dangers (even if it's a 1/2 a percent likelihood) ahead of time, since they weren't even told it was happening at all until after the fact.
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You are conflating iris scanning with retinal scanning. Iris scanners just use a close up photo of the iris, the colored part of the eye around the pupil. Retinal scanners actually project a beam of light into the eye to image the blood vessels in the retina, the back surface of the eye. Just FYI.
Doing either of these things to children without their parents' notice or consent is abominable.
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Quoted for emphasis. They put up with it because schools can pretty much have students arrested for saying 'boo', and when that happens it looks bad for parents. Obedience becomes the number one priority for parents. And the circle of tyranny is complete.
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Opt out
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So just to get this right
Don't need parents permissions to violate students Civil Rights. Got it.
I assume of course that all the staff, administrators and school board members had their iris' scanned as well.
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Re: So just to get this right
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I cant say
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Hang on.
*Re-reads article*
Sorry, my bad. I was tired and forgot that in the US, the treatment of school children is more or less identical to the treatment of jailed felons.
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they spend more money on prisons.
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Gold intentions and gold roads
And they honestly believe people will take the word of them now that the scans were destroyed? WTH?? They not only dropped the ball about letting parents know, but kicked it out of the damn stadium, and they are wondering why they are not being believed? Man, I've seen some bone headed plays, but this ranks right up there as on of the best in recent history.
Enjoy those lawsuits(even though nothing of any good will come out of except teachers getting fired due to having to the school district having to pay some possible fines, damages and court/lawyers fees.)
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They don't even think of things like what could go wrong, how secure is this data being kept, how long do they keep it, what else might be done with it, what if someone uses the data to identify and track the children in places & situations where they (and their parents) expected anonymity, what happens when the company goes out of business or is acquired by a big government/military/law-enforcement contractor, etc.?
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What I find worriesome...
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To the parents and voters
I bet you will......the idiots keep re-electing the same idiots, and then complain about it.
I think that fits the definition of insanity.
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iris scans
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