Force majeure plus criminal fines make new “One-to-One’s” undesirable

(Nevadans Against Common Core) – An article by Theresa Catalani in the Nevada News & Views, points out that the new “one-on-one” tablets, are being “lent” to students with heavy liabilities to parents – and possible unintended criminal punishment to parents as well as lack of privacy issues for students.

Theresa Catalani’s son, just entering 9^th grade at Carson City, Nevada, High School, was told he must use the tablet, that the computers had been taken out of the classroom, and that no accommodation could be made for her son for any course.

“It seems as though the school is forgetting that I am not legally required to sign off on liability.  Did the schools fail to consider that some parents might not be comfortable with these tablets?” asked Ms. Catalani.

She continued, “There are countless reasons a child might need special accommodations, and they are all provided without question.  My son needs to be treated the same as any other child.  Additionally, as the parent, I should not need to feel bullied into changing my position.”

In the Chicago Tribune article entitled “Student Computer Use Raises Privacy Questions,” talked about “cyber security agents” who are hired by schools to “monitor student activity” (Some schools monitor all the time, others monitor only during school hours).  Companies like Gaggle monitor content that students email or post.

On the other side, parents from the Algonquin-based School District in Illinois, complained recently that their elementary school students could access pornography, and parents of high school students found their children playing war games or shopping online.

Khaliah Barnes, a lawyer and director of the Student Privacy Project at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a non-profit research organization based in Washington, D.C., brought up these questions: “Who owns the data?  Who has access to the data? How long will the data be maintained?  Is the data protected?”

Jane Robbins from the American Principals Project said this is the first time she knows students have been FORCED to use a One to One device.

Nevadans Against Common Core (NACC) is a non-profit organization, whose six board members (three Democrats: Pat Lynch, Angie Sullivan, and Don Gallimore, and three Republicans: John Eppolito, Carol Wright, and Virginia Starrett) demonstrate the truly bi-partisan nature of Common Core opposition in Nevada. Visit www.NevadansAgainstCommonCore.com for more information.