anaheim california

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Should Schools Track Truant Kids By GPS?

If Ferris Bueller was a modern student living in Anaheim, California, Principal Rooney could just track him down by GPS.


Ferris Bueller would have had a hard time in Anaheim, California. The city's school district has teamed up with local police for the ultimate Big-Brother-is-watching-you solution to truancy. They've embarked on a six-week pilot program where 75 students with four or more unexcused absences are carrying a handheld GPS tracking device.

Every morning the teens get a robocall reminding them to get to school on time. After that, they're required to pull out their GPS device five times a day and "enter a code that tracks their locations—as they leave for school, when they arrive at school, at lunchtime, when they leave school and at 8 p.m." The kids also get a coach that calls them at least three times a week to help them strategize how to get to class.

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