Student Expelled - Refused RFID Badge

[tonym]

Texas School Kicks Student Out of Magnet Program for Refusing to Wear “Smart ID” Tracking Badge—Rutherford Institute to Seek Prelim. Injunction

November 20, 2012

source - https://www.rutherford.org/publicati..._to_wear_smart



SAN ANTONIO, Texas —School officials for the Northside Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas, have informed high school student Andrea Hernandez that she will be “withdrawn” from John Jay High School’s Science and Engineering Academy, effective Monday, November 26, because she objects to wearing a name badge signifying participation in the school district’s new “Student Locator Project.” The badges include tiny Radio Frequency Identification (“RFID”) chips that produce a radio signal, enabling school officials to track students’ precise location on school property. For Hernandez, a sophomore, the badges pose a significant religious freedom concern in addition to the obvious privacy issues. In coming to Andrea’s defense, Rutherford attorneys are preparing to seek immediate judicial intervention to ensure that Andrea is not removed from her school as a result of adhering to her religious beliefs and refusing to express approval of the Project.

“There is something fundamentally disturbing about this school district’s insistence on steamrolling students into complying with programs that have nothing whatsoever to do with academic priorities and everything to do with fattening school coffers,” said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. “By virtue of the First Amendment, students in our society are at liberty to conscientiously choose which governmental programs they will support and which they will oppose. It’s a sad day in America when school officials deny someone an education simply because she stands up for what she believes in.”

The Northside Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas, has launched a program, the “Student Locator Project,” aimed ostensibly at increasing public funding for the district by increasing student attendance rates. As part of the pilot program, roughly 4,200 students at Jay High School and Jones Middle School are being required to wear “SmartID” card badges embedded with an RFID tracking chip which will actively broadcast a signal at all times. Although the schools already boast 290 surveillance cameras, the cards will make it possible for school officials to track students’ whereabouts at all times. School officials hope to expand the program to the district’s 112 schools, with a student population of 100,000. Although implementation of the system will cost $500,000, school administrators are hoping that if the school district is able to increase attendance by tracking the students’ whereabouts, they will be rewarded with up to $1.7 million from the state government.

High school sophomore Andrea Hernandez, a Christian, expressed her sincere religious objections to being forced to participate in the RFID program. Reportedly, Hernandez was informed by school officials that “there will be consequences for refusal to wear an ID card.” For example, students who refuse to take part in the ID program won’t be able to access essential services like the cafeteria and library, nor will they be able to purchase tickets to extracurricular activities. Hernandez was prevented from voting for Homecoming King and Queen after school officials refused to verify her identity using her old, conventional student ID card. According to Hernandez, teachers are even requiring students to wear the IDs when they want to use the bathroom. School officials offered to quietly remove the tracking chip from Andrea’s card if the sophomore would agree to wear the new ID without the imbedded RFID chip so as to give the appearance of participation in the Student Locator Project. Andrea refused this offer. Andrea has also been prevented from distributing flyers to fellow students explaining her objections to the program.

[WNYresident]

That is a bit much of big brother watching people.

[BorderBob]

What religious objection?



b.b.

[joe d.]

What religious objection?



b.b.

Hey...is she complaining to God TOO...or whatever religious icon she worships, that the supreme being knows WHERE and WHAT she is doing at all times??

[Linda_D]

This has absolutely nothing to do with religious freedom IMO and everything to do with the freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures (ie, privacy) as well as possibly the freedom from self-incrimination. Why the hell aren't parents up in arms over this?

The school admins know very well they'll lose in court, which is why they're willing to remove the chip before it does go to court. Students don't have a lot of rights, but they do have some.

[granpabob]

What religious objection?



b.b.

It could be from Rev 13 where they talk about the mark of the beast