Improving Safety Or Wasting Money?

GPS Tracking Children In Schools

After the successful use of GPS tracking systems in some select high schools to monitor the habitually truant, the discussion about GPS technology in the school environment only continues to escalate. First introduced as a way of ensuring those who were purposely missing class would attend class regularly, GPS monitoring solutions quickly gained a reputation for turning troubled teens into academic achievers. Nobody expected that through the implementation of a program that called upon satellite technology that teens could literally transform their lives for the better in such as short period of time. Now that GPS systems are not complete strangers to the school environment, some people are asking whether the use of such devices should be expanded in an effort to increase security and safety at the elementary school level. By equipping every student attending elementary school with a GPS system, some GPS advocates believe that children will be provided the utmost level of security and personal protection, but does any plan that requires the widespread usage of monitoring devices seem like an effective way of enhancing safety or more of a waste money?

Proponents of a plan that would require children to keep live tracking systems on them at all times explain that the monitoring technology can offer a wide range of benefits. First of all, GPS programs implemented at the high school level among troubled teens already have a proven track record of improving attendance which results in improvement of grades. Having a tool in places that would guarantee every child is attending class would only help cultivate and nurture an environment where kids never felt the temptation to "ditch" or arrive late to class. What is even more important is that if a kid was recorded not being in class, school authorities would be able to quickly locate the student to make certain that the student was not hurt or in any other danger. This would help improve safety all across the board. Basically, parents could activate the tracker whenever they dropped off their son or daughter at school or a local bus stop, and the GPS tracker would be left activated all the way up until the time the child arrived home from school. Anytime the personal tracking system needed to be accessed in that window it could be easily done by either the parent or school officials.

From the financial stand point, proponents of the GPS plan state that schools lose money every time a child misses class, therefore the plan would essentially pay for itself, as it would help increase student attendance while also offering the most important thing, additional student safety.

Although there is no denying a great deal of positive things could come from any plan that would put live personal tracking solutions such as the SilverCloud tracker on children for monitoring purposes, many opponents state that such a plan would be both fiscally irresponsible and a invasion of privacy. "It is not that we do not want to improve child safety because nothing could be further from the truth", explained a person in opposition to any plan to bring GPS to elementary schools. "I simply believe that through the use of hidden camera systems, increased police presence and other surveillance strategies that the same goal can be obtained without such personal intrusion and financial cost."

Some parents also state that such technological tools were not in place when they were young, and nothing bad happened so why would it matter if such tools were in place now?

Unfortunately, the culture of school as changed substantially, as more and more schools are becoming overcrowded, making it more difficult for teachers to keep an eye on every single kid every single day.

The one thing that everyone can agree upon is that absolutely nothing is more important than the safety of our children. Children should not be exposed to the dangers that are present in the world, and they should definitely be provided safety and security while setting the foundation of a strong academic education while at school. Although only time will tell if GPS monitoring solutions will eventually be commonplace in the school environment, we can all find common ground in that the conversation to improve child and school safety is an important and productive one.

GPS Tracking Opinion

Would you be for or against a plan that would result in elementary school students being equipped with real-time tracking solutions?