We have previously discussed how students are being punished for out-of-school postings and statements on social media sites, a trend that I have criticized. Now, with the Supreme Court expanding the power of school officials to discipline students and teachers for outside activities, schools are creating their own surveillance and monitoring systems in our society. The Glendale Unified School District has hired a company called Geo Listening to monitor the conversations and postings of all of its students to detect any areas of concern. It is the latest example of how privacy in America is dying by a thousand papercuts.
Superintendent Richard Sheehan wants Geo Listening to look at all of the posts of 13,000 students at eight Glendale middle and high schools. He insists that this is to help intervene in any problems from drug use to suicides. However, it opens up yet another layer of surveillance in our fishbowl society.
Chris Frydrych, the CEO of Geo Listening said, “We have provided information to school districts, which has led to numerous successful interventions on behalf of students that intended self-harm, suicide, bullying, truancy, substance abuse, and vandalism.”
What really caught my eye in this story is the statement of one student Hoover High School student Elijah Augustine that neither he nor his mother is bothered by the monitoring. It is the ultimate example how people can become accustomed to surveillance and the loss of privacy. As our expectations of privacy fall, the government’s ability to engage in warrantless surveillance increases. We have trained a generation of students who are comfortable with continual surveillance and living in a monitored space.
Is it fair to suggest that if this had been done by a company running charter schools, it would be used as evidence that charter schools are an inherently bad idea and run by people who don’t care about education?
The simultaneous expansion of the surveillance state and the nanny state.
That one member of the School Board drinks at the bar on the corner of Jay Street and Time. Photo op him at the bar with the young female who is not is wife. The Principal is not your Pal. On Principle, steal his mail from his mailbox at his home. Do the poop in the bag trick on him afterwards. Write scandalous things on walls in the bathrooms. Fry the school computers.
Get even.
nick,
I was really hoping someone would pick up on the wordplay.
This is one more scary concept. I didn’t realize that being a high school student allows the right to privacy to be thrown out the window…despite what the Supremes say.
Mark Collins,
“So…I’m guessing that us Baby Boomers will be the last generation to try to protect, defend, and uphold the Constitution. If so, I’m truly appalled.”
Hopefully not the last generation. There are a fair number of Generation Xers who will try. And, homeschoolers, as I know them, care deeply about the Constitution and are not shy about being politically involved. So, there will be at least a few folks trying to protect, defend, and uphold the Constitution.
And yet we’ve recently had posters here arguing that knowing the history and theory behind Constitutional Law isn’t important to the practice of law and the general good of society, AY.
Go figure.
If you don’t know you have it then how can you know you lost it….. And we have…..
I believe there will be more “35 year old teacher found to be having sex w/ 16 year old student” headlines.
I see we have some kids @ heart here. The Eurythmics is an inspired choice.
“Dear Timmy,
Your relationship with Tammy is not approved by the Ministry of Love. Please report to Room 101 for reconditioning.
Signed,
Principle Orwell”
Another reason to enroll your children in a private school. The parents should speak out with resolve in this, because the parents are now being spied on as well.
The claim that it is done to help the children is not the primary reason, though this essentially goes along for the ride. It is because the school administrators want to keep students in line and punish them if they write anything the school officials object to, whether it be concerns about vandalism or violence or if the students make political or personal remarks against school officials.
But Jonathan is right about the reaction of many students as being indifferent. This generation puts its life on stage and both advertisers and corporate America, and increasingly our politicians and federal gov’t, want this to happen because they want to be able to use it to their own selfish needs.
Nick,
I hope the students do some independent silk screening projects in art class…say, some 1984-esque shirts with the school logo or name emblazoned all over. Or, the principal’s face in place of Big Brother.
🙂
If I know kids, they’ll be monitoring the monitors soon. That’s one of the many things I love about kids. They don’t take shit lying down like so many adults.
What would monitors have done w/ Trayvon Martin’s posts?
Fortunately, the kids will be one step ahead of those goons.
Meanwhile, Gov. Brown is doing the comeback kid in terms of economy-deficit.
Reblogged this on Spot Of Tea.
So…I’m guessing that us Baby Boomers will be the last generation to try to protect, defend, and uphold the Constitution. If so, I’m truly appalled.
Reblogged this on Brittius.com.