A middle school in Texas is the first to adopt a pilot program that allows school administrators to track students’ whereabouts by using their student IDs through radio frequency technology. The program, which relies on radio frequency technology, is intended to ensure attendance, particularly in homerooms, which is an important measure attendance when allocating funding for Texas schools.

Regardless of the more stringent policy ensuring student attendance, this particular technology opens up a Pandora’s box of invasion of privacy. Each student will be assigned an identification number, which, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, could be tracked by someone outside of the school system. In the age of social media, privacy concerns are more relevant than ever for our nation’s children. This new policy could be a violation of the basic civil rights upon which our nation was founded.

While many Americans do not mind the excesses of additional surveillance imposed throughout the last decade, namely the USA Patriot Act, the rationale for accepting these policies is based on the prospects of thwarting alleged terrorism. In Texas middle schools, that is hardly the case. Tracking the student’s barcode numbers to guarantee homeroom attendance is not a protection against terror.

At the root of the problem is using government subsidies as a monetary incentive to implement such a program. The Northside Independent School District in San Antonio has dropped $261,000 on the program and expects to eventually receive about $2 million in additional funding as a result. The concern is not students missing class; it is securing necessary funding to continue to operate the schools. The fact that school funding is based on a distorted view of classroom attendance is very troubling and needs to be rectified before any form of domestic surveillance is implemented.

Texas high school faculty member Madelene Garra praised the program for providing students with “a little bit more responsibility.” However, can this policy be called responsibility when it is simply a response to administrative overreach? Until we find a suitable remedy for securing educational funds, Texas school systems will continue to sacrifice their students’ human rights and privacy in exchange for money.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Oct. 8 print edition. Email the WSN Editorial Board at [email protected].