Freedom for All

How about if the bus driver took the time to learn who his passengers are?

How about just making sure the bus driver knows his route, and is reliable?

So exactly how many kids have the schools in Rhode Island lost between the bus stop at the school and the kids scheduled drop off point, anyway?

That certainly sounds like it's a chip in search of 120 AC across it's connectors, or a sudden tragic accident with a hammer. There's no need for this device.

BTW, I've no intention of GPS monitoring my girls whereabouts when they get older. If you've raised your kids right, you don't need to spy on them.

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Djinn

Because they don't hire school bus drivers based on their Mensa scores.

Even the most reliable, knowledgeable drivers have to deal with delays that are out of their hands.

Are you counting those that decide to leave school at the end of the day and head for a nearby mall? Or those that decide to board the school bus of a friend?

You can raise your kids however you want. That's not going to stop their school bus from getting trapped in a snowbank. Don't forget, the GPS beacon only tracks the school bus.

michaelr

hahaha, then why chip the kids?

Djinn

The chips are exceedingly low-power, and have no internal power source. They can't transmit a signal beyond a few feet. The chips (which are on the student's backpacks; not the students themselves) are detected by a reader inside the school bus; probably near the door of the bus, since everyone passes through it when boarding or disembarking.

Even if the regular school bus driver is out sick, and a substitute is on the job, a list of all school bus passengers is recorded without slowing down the boarding process one iota.

It's even more useful in the case of a substitute driver, since that will increase the chances of a student being brought home late.

Freedom for All

And the school bus drivers I had way back when knew who the hell we were. They're not any dumber today.

This affects their ability to get to the corner of Smith and Main to drop off little Baracky in what way?

Doesn't sound like the school's problem. If someone sues, shoot the lawyer. Problem solved.

Okay, let's picture this scenario. Global warming has to end first. That's highly likely. Then there has to be enough snow to bury a whole school bus. Because when all the parents call up the school looking for little Baracky and little Nancy, and the school bus company realizes that Fred's bus hasn't been returned to the lot, naturally the police are going to look all over the place...and obviously they'll have to deliberately skip the known route, or that big yellow machine won't be lost for long.

BTW, if it's the BUS getting lost that worrying you, how about if we put a GPS pinger on the BUS, and not the kids who aren't actually permanently attached to the bus. They're probably not even attracted to it, is my guess.

Can you imagine other reasons why Big Sister (in the New Barackified Atmosphere, I'll be called racist if I say "Big Brother", so now I'm just sexist. Think "Big Sibling" will be effective?) would want to track the movements of children, or at least get them used to the idea of being remotely monitored?

Solon

I don't have Onstar, I leave my cell phone off unless I'm actively using it, and I use fake names as often as possible. Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean people aren't after me, and in Solon's Neurotic Equations 101 micro+chip = slippery slope.

Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought.
-Henri Louis Bergson

Mare Tranquillity

I'd be willing to bet that it's the manufacturer who's giving them away to help build a market. They've invested a lot in designing these damn things but the market hasn't developed as fast as they'd like so they give them away to get the ball rolling. I wonder if these school folks would take poison if it was free?

Solon

Only if it is an equal opportunity, politically correct, and environmentally friendly poison.

Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought.
-Henri Louis Bergson

johnflesh

Did someone say pot?

McCain/Obama 08'

Oftencold

These chips would be so unnecessary if schools would just adopt my "Galley Slave Model for School Administration."