Big brother bus cards?
High school students in Chicago can get a reduced-fare transit card so they can ride the Chicago Transit Authority trains and buses to and from school at a bargain rate. Now, The Chicago Tribune says, Chicago public school officials are looking into the possibility of using smart-card technology so they can track the whereabouts of students using the cards. District officials see it as a potentially powerful tool in their continuing effort to reduce truancy, but opponents say using the technology to monitor students would be an infringement on their privacy rights.
What do you think? Leave your opinion below.
April 20th, 2008 @ 10:11 am
In return for the lower fares they receive, students should be willing to let the school system keep track of whether they are using the transportation system to come to school…or to go somewhere else when they should be in school.
April 20th, 2008 @ 10:13 am
The school system’s concern over truancy is legitimate, but there are less draconian ways of combating that problem. A student should be able to travel to and from school without having to be concerned about whether his or her movements are being monitored.