A pilot project slated for rollout at Martin Luther King Jr., Junior High School this summer will require students to carry photo ID cards with computer bar codes throughout the school day. Basically, the project will have teachers and bus drivers using hand-held computers to scan photo ID cards before students can come into classrooms and board buses. The cards will immediately notify administrators when students are absent or cutting class. Students will also use the all-purpose cards to buy cafeteria lunches, get access to computers and check out library books. There is no doubt that the Grant school district, which serves a relatively poor population of North Sacramento students, is in need of serious assistance.
Teachers work in over-crowded, dingy classrooms.
School buildings are falling apart. Test scores declined precipitously last year. And yes, the district has hundreds of unexcused absences each day. To us, the bar code ID system sounds like another superficial, quick fix attempt to solve a complex social problem, i.e. how to fix bad schools. But we can at least be cautious about how the technology is used.