by Leigh Goessl

Created on: August 26, 2010

School officials in New Canaan, Connecticut are currently exploring the possibility of tracking their students with RFID technology. In August 2010 the district was reportedly in talks with SecureRF Corporation and had applied for a $100,000 federal research grant to help fund the initiative.  

While it seems many board members may be in support of this project, member Jim Kucharczyk told the New Canaan Advertiser "I can perceive parents would have an issue with tracking kids through the school and through town, There's a big difference between putting this on the school bus [and] putting it on backpacks or an ID card." (

switched.com)  

The reasons given for the desire to test the proverbial waters with tracking students was for the purpose of emergency evacuations, streamlining the bus system and to see whether or not kids cut class. The question begs asking though, aren't there less intrusive methods of tracking?  

Security is an important concept and schools are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring their students are safe, however what about privacy? Some can argue that security trumps privacy, and in some instances that may be true, however this is narrow thinking and the bigger picture is not being considered.  

This is not the first time this kind of initiative has been launched. Back in 2005 a California school issued new student IDs and neglected to tell parents or students the children were being tracked. In the case of New Canaan, at least this school is being forthright and are not making the program mandatory if the program goes forward, as both parental and student permission would be required prior to implementation.

However it has high potential to open a can of worms. 

For instance, while initially the schools may use the information strictly for attendance purposes, once the system is in place and the cost efficiency possibilities are realized, other more sensitive data could be linked and the program expanded to include other school processes. In that respect the security schools are trying to maintain could conceivably put the students at greater risk.  Not to mention once administrators get a taste of the efficiency and save dollars, the program could become mandated not only by this school, but others as well.

The proverbial domino effect.

Aside from security issues, the bigger picture also includes the societal perspectives which would be impacted. Many of us grew up in a world where our every move was

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