Kids who skip school are tracked by GPS in Anaheim

[Chob]

ANAHEIM – Frustrated by students habitually skipping class, police and school officials in Anaheim are turning to GPS tracking to ensure they come to class. The Anaheim Union High School District is the first in California to test Global Positioning System technology as part of a six-week pilot program that began last week, officials said. Seventh- and eighth-graders with four unexcused absences or more this school year are assigned to carry a handheld GPS device, about the size of a cell phone.

I'm all for making sure these punk ass kids go to school, but what the fuck happened to parents taking responsibility for their kids or teaching them to be responsible themselves? Fuck that, let's just track them electronically.

The GPS devices cost $300-$400 each. Overall, the six-week program costs about $8 per day for each student, or $18,000. The program is paid for by a state grant. Students who routinely skip school are prime candidates to join gangs, police say. Because schools lose about $35 per day for each absent student, the program can pay for itself and more if students return to class consistently, Miller said.

Has it really come to this?
http://www.ocregister.com/news/schoo...s-program.html