Schools in Long Island and parts of NJ monitor kids...

[Mynyel]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/schools_spy_on_fat_kids_HpPAgsKXPYjt1EWFfaNp9K?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=

 

you know, I know this is a relatively short article. However this is just wrong. Very wrong.

 

It is the schools job to educate not monitor activity. What is next? GPS to see if they are headed to the 'hood?

[melissad2]

Ummmm...no way would they do that to my kids without seeing me in court! That is just wrong on so many levels!

[nono]

From the one parent's quote, it doesn't sound like there was consent on the parents' part. That always gets me in a tizzy.

[mom2myboys]

Wow. I feel that this is overstepping into parenting territory. I think if a parent and child decided to use that technology together to help them meet goals, that is fine. But IMHO, that kind of device has no place in schools. Especially without notifying parents.

[Alessandra]

That is sickening.

[Ester Maria]

Huh, I am a bit lost. Were kids wearing those "wristwatchlike" whatever 24/7 - and if so, how come the parents did not notice it? - or were they wearing them only at school, or only at school only at PE?

[sarahbobeara]

It tells kids, in real time, ‘Am I active? Am I not active?’ We want to give kids the opportunity to become active.

 

And just how does a watch offer an 'opportunity to become active?' How about offering an extra recess instead?? I've heard those are free.;) Or a 10 minute zumba class in the gym? That would be really cool!

 

I can't believe no parents were contacted regarding this, and the article says the results were uploaded to the school computer for storage and long term tracking. So could this go on their transcripts at some point???

[LibraryLover]

Huh, I am a bit lost. Were kids wearing those "wristwatchlike" whatever 24/7 - and if so, how come the parents did not notice it? - or were they wearing them only at school, or only at school only at PE?

 

 

It's the New York Post. Their one goal is to 'rile up the masses' with hyberbole and rhetoric to sell a rag. That article reports nothing. Think The Sun in UK.

 

OMG! They are monitoring my kid's heart rate during PE!!!

Edited January 16, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Leav97]

The article doesn't seem to say when they are going to use the watches. I've used that type of device when working out. I could see it being very helpful during PE. Especially since they only ordered 10 of them. Sounds like a trial run for a PE class. It could be used to give the kids instant feedback.

[snowbeltmom]

My oldest took one class at our public school last year. The school sent a letter in the mail informing me that my son had been selected to participate in an obesity study. He was to wear an electronic device and record all his food intake for the duration of the study.:mad:

 

I do not remember the duration of the study, but I do know that it was multiple weeks. The letter stated that if the parent did not want their child to participate, that the parent had to write a letter for the child to be able to opt out of the program.

 

Despite writing the letter, the school nurse still sent a note to my son's teacher to have my son report to the nurse's station so he could be weighed and get the electronic device. My son informed his teacher that I had opted him out of the study and that was the end of it.

 

It amazes me how much tax money is wasted in public "education".

[amey311]

I'm suddenly reminded of the school in PA that gave out laptops to students and then were watching them at home via the webcam built into the computers.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/18/harriton-high-school-spie_n_467491.html

[Ester Maria]

OMG! They are monitoring my kid's heart rate during PE!!!

I have a question. :001_smile:

 

How much of "data collecting" on children is allowed, typically, in public schools for PE purposes? I think I can recall quite meticulous notes per student on initial (beginning of the year) height, weight, how many sit-ups one can make, etc., and then the final (end of the year) motoric and health state to see the progress. One also, if I recall correctly, noted other "milestones" related to what was done in PE, such as what is the maximum height one can jump, how many meters one can run in X time, etc. And we pretty much knew each other's "data" too.

 

How does this work in the US public schools? Are these things not taken - or not shared - for privacy reasons, or are the PE lessons strictly exercise, but without any kind of a systematic documentation / follow-ups on how the child is progressing in accordance with their initial state and motoric expectations for their age?

[In The Great White North]

How does this work in the US public schools? Are these things not taken - or not shared - for privacy reasons, or are the PE lessons strictly exercise, but without any kind of a systematic documentation / follow-ups on how the child is progressing in accordance with their initial state and motoric expectations for their age?

 

Not taken AT ALL. Nor would I call PE classes really exercise.

[chiguirre]

That article's not clear about when the devices will be used. At first it sounded like a 24/7 thing which I find very intrusive, but later it mentions using them in PE which wouldn't bother me. Those are very different situations. I wouldn't want the PE teacher to be able to pass the information to anyone else without consent, but I could see how it would be useful for them to have.

[Ester Maria]

Not taken AT ALL. Nor would I call PE classes really exercise.

So how do they "differentiate" and "individualize" the education if they do not have the data and written progress journal of some kind for each student (just like one follows the kids' progress in other subjects)? Or do they expect all students to jump X or run Y, without taking into account differences in their physical composition?

 

(Or do they just fool around and call it PE, without taking it "seriously"? :lol:)

[Lang Syne Boardie]

So how do they "differentiate" and "individualize" the education if they do not have the data and written progress journal of some kind for each student (just like one follows the kids' progress in other subjects)? Or do they expect all students to jump X or run Y, without taking into account differences in their physical composition?

 

(Or do they just fool around and call it PE, without taking it "seriously"? :lol:)

 

Same approach they take to math. What an interesting thread! :lurk5:

 

When I was in school they did log our fitness, height, and weight. We did the Presidential Fitness Award program plus a track and field day each semester. We competed in long jump, high jump, 50yd dash, and relays, and the information followed us through elementary school but not beyond.

 

I wonder if that was common across the US in the '70's and '80's.

[chepyl]

I have a question. :001_smile:

 

How much of "data collecting" on children is allowed, typically, in public schools for PE purposes? I think I can recall quite meticulous notes per student on initial (beginning of the year) height, weight, how many sit-ups one can make, etc., and then the final (end of the year) motoric and health state to see the progress. One also, if I recall correctly, noted other "milestones" related to what was done in PE, such as what is the maximum height one can jump, how many meters one can run in X time, etc. And we pretty much knew each other's "data" too.

 

How does this work in the US public schools? Are these things not taken - or not shared - for privacy reasons, or are the PE lessons strictly exercise, but without any kind of a systematic documentation / follow-ups on how the child is progressing in accordance with their initial state and motoric expectations for their age?

 

They kept some information on us. They took our body fat measurements in 5th grade. They timed all of our sprint's, miles, counted sit UPS, push UPS amd pull UPS. If we Improved over the uear we got an A, stay the same B, got worse C. Some schools use stepometers, kids have to get a certain number of ateps per class to earn an A in PE.

[snowbeltmom]

I have a question. :001_smile:

 

How does this work in the US public schools? Are these things not taken - or not shared - for privacy reasons, or are the PE lessons strictly exercise, but without any kind of a systematic documentation / follow-ups on how the child is progressing in accordance with their initial state and motoric expectations for their age?

 

My state had an Obesity Prevention Plan. The State Department of Education participated in the study. Third graders in some of the public school had their weight and BMI recorded (unless the parent opted out). The state has compiled a lot of data on our children.

[snowbeltmom]

That article's not clear about when the devices will be used. At first it sounded like a 24/7 thing which I find very intrusive, but later it mentions using them in PE which wouldn't bother me. Those are very different situations. I wouldn't want the PE teacher to be able to pass the information to anyone else without consent, but I could see how it would be useful for them to have.

Had my child participated in the study at his school, he would have been required to wear the device all the hours he was awake - both in and out of school.

[LibraryLover]

So how do they "differentiate" and "individualize" the education if they do not have the data and written progress journal of some kind for each student (just like one follows the kids' progress in other subjects)? Or do they expect all students to jump X or run Y, without taking into account differences in their physical composition?

 

(Or do they just fool around and call it PE, without taking it "seriously"? :lol:)

 

 

This depends entirely on your particular school district, funding, political/regional climate etc. There is nothing uniform about the American school system. Some schools have mandatory and regular PE, and some schools have no PE at all. Some schools have pools and gyms and tennis courts and wonderful programs, and some schools don't even have playgrounds.

[Wheres Toto]

My dd is a senior in a public high school and they do periodic testing a few times a year. They measure how many sit-ups they can do in 60 seconds, how far they can jump (standing and running long jumps), how many pull-ups they can do, push-up and they have to run a timed mile. They play the regular sports you would think about with gym but also have an Adventure program where they do zip-lines, climbing and other more extreme sports.

 

We did similar testing when I was in high school 20+ years ago without the Adventure program stuff.

[Photo Ninja]

Measuring heart rates during a PE class is appropriate because that is part of physical fitness. Older students should be taught how to monitor their heart rate and how that relates to exercise and fitness levels. That is part of instruction.

 

Keeping that data long term, as the article implies if not states, is inappropriate. The data could be used by a teacher to assign a grade in PE, however the students should not have this info tracked long term by a school because the school has no business doing this. The school's job is to work with parents to provide an education, not to monitor a child's physical and behavioral attributes and collect that data without parental permission. The logical result of the data collection will be forced or coerced behavioral changes or standards.

 

So what happens when the school collects data, then determines that a student is obese and needs to have more exercise ? Based on whose standards and what authority? Since the student must wear the watch and the school collects and analyzes the activity levels long term, can the school then coerce the student into mandatory exercise in addition to regular PE classes? That is not a stretch to conclude. What is the end purpose of the monitoring? The school has already stated that it is an attempt to lower obesity levels. That is not the school's job. But since it has apparently taken authority in this area, to achieve its goal, the school must force behavioral changes on those who they are monitoring. Otherwise the school can't achieve its goal.

[SKL]

I just hope they have extremely high academic test scores if they have time and money for this sort of thing.

 

I've been around a long time and seen many programs (usually embarrassing) imposed on fat kids in a government effort to reduce obesity. I've never known a kid to lose weight as a result. Mostly they just say I'm fat, I suck and I want some more fries.

 

What do they say about someone who does the same thing 1,000 times and expects to eventually get a different result?

[GoVanGogh]

It's the New York Post. Their one goal is to 'rile up the masses' with hyberbole and rhetoric to sell a rag. That article reports nothing. Think The Sun in UK.

 

OMG! They are monitoring my kid's heart rate during PE!!!

Schools in Arlington, Texas, gave out pedometers to students so they could track their mileage over the summer. That, to me, is a major infringement on personal privacy and rights.

[Parrothead]

I had 13 years of public education in 3 US states and 2 countries (started K'er in Italian public school) between 1970 and 1984 and never had any sort of measurements taken. It was all games and calisthenics. Lots of dodge ball. Which took all class time. And if one was smart one got out on purpose so one could sit on the sidelines and draw or read.

[delaney]

If a kid is obese and they found that he sat around all day and did nothing after school then it needs to be addressed by the PARENT not the school. I can see where they are trying to be helpful but if health companies could get this info it could be a disaster.:glare:

[MHowell]

I would be okay with my daughters physical activity during pe being tracked. On paper like it was when I was in school or with a watch that tracks heart rate. How is this different than my personal trainer doing it at the gym? I'd like to think my kid is getting something out of pe and this is one way to show that she is. Her school has a GREAT pe teacher who is excellent at getting the kids moving and having fun. I'm sure if our district could afford it he would jump at the opportunity.

[Ester Maria]

I had 13 years of public education in 3 US states and 2 countries (started K'er in Italian public school) between 1970 and 1984 and never had any sort of measurements taken. It was all games and calisthenics. Lots of dodge ball. Which took all class time. And if one was smart one got out on purpose so one could sit on the sidelines and draw or read.

:confused:

 

Are you referring to the last year of preschool or to the first year of elementary school? (How long were you in the system? They are quite common, but if you emigrated young and spent only a few years in the Italian school system, maybe you missed out on that type of approach? Or your school just did not do it, I am not sure it was universal.)

[Parrothead]

:confused:

 

Are you referring to the last year of preschool or to the first year of elementary school? (How long were you in the system? They are quite common, but if you emigrated young and spent only a few years in the Italian school system, maybe you missed out on that type of approach? Or your school just did not do it.)

I was only there for kinder. I was the only American, and I had no Italian. It was still a lot of fun. I have fond memories of K'er.

 

We left the summer I finished. When we got back to the States I started 1st grade in the fall.

 

I was an October baby and it was okay for me to start K'er in Italy at that age. When we got back my mom had to go to bat for me so I didn't have to repeat K'er. So I started K'er at 4 years 11 months, and started 1st grade at 5 years 11 months. Then graduated high school at 17.

 

No, I probably wasn't in the system.

Edited January 16, 2012 by Parrothead

[Ester Maria]

I just hope they have extremely high academic test scores if they have time and money for this sort of thing.

This was the first thought that crossed my mind, LOL. :lol:

 

Personally, I view non-academic activities as "extras" and schools as principally academic institutions.

[snowbeltmom]

I would be okay with my daughters physical activity during pe being tracked. On paper like it was when I was in school or with a watch that tracks heart rate. How is this different than my personal trainer doing it at the gym? I'd like to think my kid is getting something out of pe and this is one way to show that she is. Her school has a GREAT pe teacher who is excellent at getting the kids moving and having fun. I'm sure if our district could afford it he would jump at the opportunity.

 

The difference is that your data is being used to improve your physical well being. This is not the case at our public school - the data is simply being reported to a government agency so it can publish obesity stats based on a variety of demographics. Nothing is done with the data to improve the student's physical health (and, frankly, that should be addressed at home.)

 

Do we really need another study to tell us what we all already know? I shudder to think of the expense of this worthless program.

[Ester Maria]

I was only there for kinder. We left the summer I finished. When we got back to the States I started 1st grade in the fall.

I put the :confused: because kindergarten is not a part of elementary school, like it is in the US. Actually, at that age, we do not even consider our children to "attend school", even if they may attend something called scuola materna, but it does not "count" for school, so to speak, it is just the name of it. The "actual" school begins with the first grade (by us, the first grade is really first, LOL) at age six. So, unless you had an extremely early enrollment (even at age 5 it is rare - unless you were in first grade two years earlier than the norm?), you did not actually, by the Italian standards, attend "school" there - although in the US they might have accepted that whatever instruction you received in Italy was a satisfactory educational equivalent to be able to go straight to the first grade. That is why I asked whether you referred to being actually in a school, or in what still goes for preschool there, even if age-wise it corresponds to school in some other places.

 

The system is 5 (years of elementary school), 3 (years of middle school) and 5 (years of high school). For simplification purposes, I typically "translate" the latter 8 years into "middle and high school", "5th-12th grade", although in reality it is 6th through 13th for most kids, but crazy labeled (the upper 8 years used to be one meaningful unit, so when I entered what would be "first year of high school", it was actually labeled "4th year", then we went to "5th year" - and then to "1st-3rd year", all in the same school, LOL). There is no K and there is no first grade at K age (not en masse); kids really do graduate a year later (age 19 as the norm, unless one skips or has an early enrollment, which makes it 18), which is probably a part of the reason why the upper Italian high school, if a good one, provides essentially college level studies (compared to the US school system - way more "serious" than the US high school, or so was my impression) at ages 16-19, LOL.

 

Thus my confusion. :tongue_smilie:

Edited January 16, 2012 by Ester Maria

[Parrothead]

I put the :confused: because kindergarten is not a part of elementary school, like it is in the US. Actually, at that age, we do not even consider our children to "attend school", even if they may attend something called scuola materna, but it does not "count" for school, so to speak, it is just the name of it. The "actual" school begins with the first grade (by us, the first grade is really first, LOL) at age six. So, unless you had an extremely early enrollment (even at age 5 it is rare - unless you were in first grade two years earlier than the norm?), you did not actually, by the Italian standards, attend "school" there - although in the US they might have accepted that whatever instruction you received in Italy was a satisfactory educational equivalent to be able to go straight to the first grade. That is why I asked whether you referred to being actually in a school, or in what still goes for preschool there, even if age-wise it corresponds to school in some other places.

 

The system is 5 (years of elementary school), 3 (years of middle school) and 5 (years of high school). For simplification purposes, I typically "translate" the latter 8 years into "middle and high school", "5th-12th grade", although in reality it is 6th through 13th for most kids, but crazy labeled (the upper 8 years used to be one meaningful unit, so when I entered what would be "first year of high school", it was actually labeled "4th year", then we went to "5th year" - and then to "1st-3rd year", all in the same school, LOL). There is no K and there is no first grade at K age (not en masse); kids really do graduate a year later (age 19 as the norm, unless one skips or has an early enrollment, which makes it 18), which is probably a part of the reason why the upper Italian high school, if a good one, provides essentially college level studies at ages 16-19, LOL.

 

Thus my confusion. :tongue_smilie:

Okay. :confused1:

 

Really I don't know the specifics other than I went to some form of K'er in Italy. I went to school every day and "graduated" at the end of the year. I only have vague memories of shadow puppets, playing, singing songs and stuff and that some stuff was in English and other stuff in Italian. It was 40 years ago. :D

[dirty ethel rackham]

I could see those monitors as being useful in educating kids on a healthy lifestyle. They can be used to help kids become more away of their activity level and how to make changes in their lives. My friend got one for Christmas - it is most effective if you wear it 24/7 and it tracks calorie output and sleep. But, they way it is being implemented in those schools is cause for alarm.

[Ester Maria]

Okay. :confused1:

 

Really I don't know the specifics other than I went to some form of K'er in Italy. I went to school every day and "graduated" at the end of the year. I only have vague memories of shadow puppets, playing, singing songs and stuff and that some stuff was in English and other stuff in Italian. It was 40 years ago. :D

Sounds like the last year of preschool. :D Yeah, kids "graduate" at the end of each cycle of studies.

 

I never got to attend preschool. :( My cruel parents dragged me with them to the miserable and cold Vienna most of the time. And when we got back and I started school - it was definitely not playful, LOL. The classrooms were totally devoid of anything other than "strictly school" stuff, no puppets of any kind, no playing, no talking unless called out before, no nothing, "business" for the most part. They did improve a lot in the recent decades and made schools a lot more kid-friendly, though, but when I was at school, at least in that particular school, it was a far cry from the lovely and playful atmosphere of the preschools that other people remember. I always thought it was soooo unfair I did not get to enjoy the preschool and now I envy you. :tongue_smilie:

 

Sorry for the off-topic. :D