If you've done nothing wrong, you don't need to worry.

[madfloridian]

County schools here are going to make parents and visitors to schools present driver's licenses before coming on campus. That scan will connect directly to law enforcement databases. The permit to be on campus is only for a few hours.

School Board plans to install driver license scanners in all elementaries before school opens in August.

Polk County parents visiting their kids at school this fall better be ready to show some ID. The School Board plans to install driver license scanners in all elementaries before school opens in August.

The scanners, which have access to law enforcement databases, will tell school staff whether a visitor is a known sex offender, sexual predator or is an estranged relative not allowed to have contact with a child.In addition to the license check, everyone visiting a school will be photographed and given an ID badge.

The badge, which expires after a few hours, will feature the visitor's photo and their destination, as in a teacher's classroom or the cafeteria. The photograph will be stored in the board's database for future reference and can be accessed by any Polk school.

...."Murphy said the scanning system, produced by Cisco Systems and Johnson Controls, is the same one used by Broward County schools. Besides showing who is a sex offender, the scanning system can also be updated by school staff with additional information on visitors, which can then shared by all schools. For instance, a school staffer could note that someone may be a child's parent, but not have custody. Therefore, that parent would not be allowed to check their child out of school.

We are going to be very very safe. And if we have done nothing wrong we have nothing at all to worry about.

Right?

[Redstone]

1. That must be Polk County, USSR...

because we don't do that in America.

Do we?

"Your papers, please."

Redstone

[MADem]

12. I got stopped on RT 95 the other day, maybe 12 miles from the Canadian border

heading south...by BORDER PATROL. They had set up a Russkie type roadblock, signs down the road that said be prepared to stop (one thought one was coming up on a bridge repair or something of that nature) and bang--ya round the corner, and you're in a cattle funnel type deal. They had a big, white panel truck pulled over (always seems to be the suspicious truck of choice, dunnit?) which appeared to be driven by two swarthy-ish fellers (who looked central American to my fast glance, if I had to guess) who were getting the third degree.

The border patrol dude stuck his head in the car and asked one question: Are you an American citizen? I said yes, as did my pax, he waved me on.

No ID request, yet....but I wonder if I had said Si, or Oui, or Baleh instead of Yep? Would he have asked for my papers?

I also got a bit nosey (one sure way to have them wave you on) with a bit of "Hey, man, what's UP?? Wow, what's going on--I've never seen this kinda thing before? Whatcha doin'??????" Didn't get any decent answers, just a load of noncommittal mumbling.

They were ready to do business for awhile, too--even had a porta-potty set up, and a load of border patrol vehicles tucked away on one of those service access roads...! Hell, all they needed was a soda machine and a barbecue grill~~!!!!

[Redstone]

33. It's worse than that; they have a Russkie Roadblock in White River Junction, VT, and that's

EIGHTY miles from the Canadian border.

Welcome to the United soviet States of America.

Redstone

[NoPasaran]

36. Border Patrol checkpoints

Border Patrol checkpoints have been on roads leading away from the Mexican border for decades. Are they a new development up north?

[rucky]

2. GOOD

then maybe the schools wont have to involve themselves - often unwittingly - in custody disputes and restraining orders that they usually don't know about until unlawful contact is made with a child. Then it's too late, and guess who's open for a lawsuit?

What's the problem with easily accessing public records?

[madfloridian]

3. It will solve all the problems and make us safer.

Nothing wrong with that.

Right?

[woodsprite]

6. I went to pick up my kids from daycare a couple of weeks ago

and it was in lockdown with police presence. I asked the lady at the desk what was happening and they said they had an incident where someone had tried to pick up the wrong kid. Actually, after talking with my kids, they said that a girl's dad, who has a restraining order against him, tried to pick her up and take her. Talk about a frightening feeling, driving up and seeing 2-3 police cars parked out front.

[madfloridian]

10. Teachers have that info about restraining orders.

And instructions on what to do. We had that for years. I often had to go into classroom lockdown mode at the last school where I taught. Often just one classroom would do so until the police got there.

The parents kept us informed.

But now no crooks will escape scrutiny. And if we have done nothing wrong we don't need to worry.

[rucky]

24. They should have that info, but they most often don't.

access to public information, without counting on the word of one parent or another. When I was teaching I was stuck in the middle of more than my share of custodial disputes and restraining orders that I either heard about secondhand (and they never never lie about it ;) ), or after it was too late. One I had to tell the administration about myself after getting documentation from a parent. Teachers have enough shit to worry about, and should never have to be the ones to confront a parent making unlawful contact.

I don't understand your "done nothing wrong" comment. This is information that's already public, and known by the people who count on others not knowing in order to skirt the law. School administrators need to know. What's the civil liberties angle I'm missing?

[madfloridian]

26. I am sorry you don't understand my comment.

I don't know how to explain it.

I guess I could say it has been the right wing saying it since Bush began eroding our privacies. They always say the only ones to worry are the ones who have done nothing wrong.

But that was a different day in our country, when we were not so fearful.

[LiberalFighter]

29. Your only responsibility is to follow procedures and requirements of the school

The parents should not be providing documentation to the teacher. It should be filed with principal's office. If a parent needs to remove a child from the school or other contact they should follow school procedure. Removal from school would require the parent to receive the appropriate release form which would require checking the student's file for any instructions. Other contact would require appropriate procedure. If there is any dispute it should be directed to the principal's office to resolve the issue.

[rucky]

34. Non-union. n/t

[OzarkDem]

23. Not necessary to screen all parents

The information they seek can be gained easily from their local police department, without putting everyone else through an investigation.

This has to be very expensive, surely they have better things to spend their money on besides this.

[LiberalFighter]

30. I bet every local police department has easy access and capability.

[LiberalFighter]

28. That should be the parent's responsibility to provide court docs

if there is a restraining order or prohibition on removing a child from the school.

[whistle]

4. Is this operational in the U.S. also, CEOP? All you have to do is put in a report

...online and anyone could be assumed quilty until they prove themselves inocent, it seems.

<snip>
21 August 2006

Just one click away - CEOP and Microsoft Partnership makes reporting potential sex offenders easier in MSN and Windows Live Messenger

Millions of young people in the UK who use Windows Live Messenger or MSN Messenger to chat online with friends are now just one click away from making a report to police if they are concerned their online ‘buddy’ is a sex offender.

Microsoft’s partnership with the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre – the UK’s first dedicated organisation focused on tackling child sex abuse – has brought about a new ‘safer-by-design’ element to the UK’s most popular instant messenger product.

The move sees the incorporation of a new Messenger tab and features the CEOP Centre’s distinctive “report abuse” icon which links users in the UK directly to online police services. This allows young people and adults to report suspicious behaviour and instances of inappropriate contact of a sexual nature they have encountered whilst chatting in this virtual environment.

And the service doesn’t end there. Through the icon and link to the CEOP web site, users from anywhere in the world can access the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) – an international alliance of law enforcement agencies – of which the CEOP Centre is the UK’s representative.

The tab will appear on both MSN Messenger, and its replacement, Windows Live Messenger. As well as a ‘one click’ link through to a report to the police, each week, CEOP and Microsoft will provide a new safety tip as part of the tab, for example, how to safeguard your personal details or to how to spot a potential threat.

Jim Gamble, Chief Executive of the CEOP Centre and Chair of the VGT takes up the story.

What Microsoft and the CEOP are doing today is saying is ‘enough is enough’. By working together in a very clear and tangible way we can safeguard children from online sexual predators.

Behind the report abuse button will sit police and intelligence officers who have been specially trained to tackle child sex abuse. We will tell you how to capture information and how to seize online discussions and then proactively do all we can to track down the perpetrator.

But there is a lot more to this. CEOP is an integral part of the VGT and therefore by working with MSN in this way we are offering users access to a global police response. If you make a report as a UK citizen then we at CEOP will investigate. If you make a report as a user from other countries then our counterparts in the US, Australia, Canada or Interpol will take the matter further. That is a truly global response to a worldwide issue.
Carrie Bogner, Senior Director, Citizenship, Windows Live said;

We take the safety and security of young people online very seriously. People can already control who they do and don’t allow onto their Messenger buddy list – the new CEOP tab launched today is another safety feature that will make Windows Live and MSN Messenger safer still.

What we are doing here is true partnership in action. As a global industry partner of the CEOP Centre and the VGT we can bring our understanding of the global nature of the internet and online communications with the knowledge and experiences of law enforcement to better protect children in our online space.
<MORE>

http://www.ceop.gov.uk/news_items/article_20060821_ceop.htm

[mlizotte]

5. big brother

that seems like some really drastic move, it might make schools safer but it kinda creeps me out

[napi21]

7. I'm not sure how I really feel about this. I can see it stopping an incident

like described above where a father who had a restraining order against him would be stopped. I can also see it keeping child predators away. I HATE the intrusion, but I'm leaning toward thinking the benefits outweigh the negatives.

[madfloridian]

9. Yes, we will be safer.

.

[napi21]

15. I'm not talking about "WE" I'm talking about the school kids.

Most single mothers have to work, and if their exes are barred from visiting or having custody of the kids, picking them up from daycare or grade school sounds like the perfect opportunity! And then there's that old quote "Why did you rob the bank? Because THAT'S where the money is!" certainly applies to child predators...that's where the kids are!

[madfloridian]

17. Yes, I agree, everyone will be safer.

Kids and everyone.

[MADem]

8. The non driving parent, then, is what? Up shit's creek without a paddle?

How about the parent who has had a suspended license? What will they do if they have no license to present?

So, the SCHOOL is going to suss out all the molesters, eh? Isn't that the job of the police???

And just supposing Chester the Molester wants entry into a school--doncha suppose he'd swipe the license of a law abiding person and use that, instead of his own? Really--who looks like their license? A baseball cap and a pair of glasses and anyone can look like anyone....

Yeah, this is a SWELL idea...NOT.

But hey, it'll send a whole boatload of people to those shitty fundy schools, I'm guessing....

[chaska]

11. Fingerprints, iris scans, facial recognition scans, I hear tattoos are being....

or will soon be used for id purposes too. Implanted microchips are already being used in animals and children. They're working on ways to identify you through the way you walk.

Control, control, control. Welcome to fascism. The noose only and ever tightens.

[MADem]

18. I've heard of pet chips, but in KIDS? That's news to me....

I've heard of them in bracelets, watches, sneakers and that sort of thing, but not under the skin for kids yet....

Doesn't FDA have to OK that?

[shadowrider]

20. You don't get out much, do you?

It's already here. This article is from 2002.

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chips.html

From the article: This month, a family of three was implanted with computer chips slightly larger than a grain of rice. The procedure, performed under a local anesthetic, took about 10 seconds for each person. The microchips, manufactured by the VeriChip company, are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because they are not classified as medical devices. The VeriChip will sell for approximately $200 and a scanner needed to read the information on the chip will cost $1,000-$3,000.

[MADem]

35. That's just one "experimental" family--this isn't happening all over America

We have a very large and extended family that spans four well populated generations, and none of our lot have done this, been invited to do it, or had anyone suggest that they do it. That article, also, refers to a device that is more like what gets put in a dog, requiring a scanner to read the information contained in the chip.

You'd think if this were the next big thing we'd have heard more about it between 2002 and now.

I've read the odd article where people have a "key" implanted in their hands or wrists so they can open the door at work without having to remember to drag a device along, but that, too, isn't "par for the course" from coast to coast. It's still the exception, not the rule by any stretch.

[madfloridian]

13. Well, ok then....sex offenders can't be denied access to own children.

"But what if a custodial parent of a child also happens to be a sex offender or predator?

"If you are a sex offender or sexual predator . . . we can't deny you access to your child," he said.

However, they will be asked to stay in the office to wait for their children, or will be escorted to their child's classroom and back."

Ok, then.

[shadowrider]

14. This is ridiculous

Does anyone for a second actually believe a sex offender/pedophile will seriously attempt to pick up a child, who they don't know other than their name, from the office of a school?? They'd be more likely to grab them off the playground or from the mall, or from Target/Walmart or any one of a number of other places.

IMHO, this is a backdoor attempt by law enforcement to see online "papers" from everyone who participates in this. Have unpaid parking tickets?? Well, the police would know you pick up your child from point "a" 3 times a week, and guess who's waiting for you.

When my kids went to school, there was a list of authorized people that could pick them up. If they weren't on the list, tough luck. Even if they WERE, there was a codeword, in a foreign language, which changed DAILY. If the person trying to pick them up didn't know the codeword, they were stopped dead in their tracks. Never had to use it, but it was there.

[madfloridian]

16. But...

see how many would rather be safer. That is how Bush got into power and stayed in power.

We have dealt with this stuff for years as teachers without sending every person's ID to the law enforcement database.

We know how those databases never make mistakes.

Right?

[shadowrider]

19. Nope, they never make mistakes

And they PROMISE it won't be compromised or given out or used for other than its intended purpose.:rofl:

[madfloridian]

21. I just bet you enjoyed it, Pat.

"We really enjoyed it," Williams said. "It was a little more work on the front office. We really liked the fact that we could pull up the Sheriff's Office (information)."

Yes, Pat, it must be fun for all your staff to be able to peruse the Sheriff's records so easily.

It's fun being a snoop.

[madfloridian]

25. Hey, Pat, when I was teaching....

the front office workers were huge gossips. Has that changed? And they were not really screened, had varying degrees of education, and were in general were rude to parents and teachers.

Yet now the front office workers get to peruse the law enforcement databases. Hope front office hiring has improved since I was a teacher.

They have a big responsibiity to keep things to themselves now.

[LiberalFighter]

31. If they get to pull up the Sheriff's Office what is to say they use it improperly

and in all likelihood illegally?

[Capn Sunshine]

32. let's not worry about that

after all, our school employees are not prone to gossip or error. They work in a SCHOOL OFFICE, for god's sake, which is only a step removed from the FBI
Right?

[OzarkDem]

22. If they're worried about sex offenders

all they have to do is look them up in their county sheriff's sex offender database. No need to invade everyone's privacy.

[madfloridian]

27. Articles say total cost is $600,000. Bet that doesn't include staff salary.

Staff will grow, of course.