QOTD: Should Schools Use Laptops to Watch Kids?

Media coverage of the lawsuit filed by student Blake J. Robbins of Philadelphia has been extensive. Robbins was disciplined for "improper behavior in his home" by the Vice Principal of his school and the VP provided a photo taken by the webcam as evidence.

Today a new case has come to light in which a school in New York has been using monitoring software to keep an eye on students during classes. Very different to the school in Philadelphia, Vice Principal of the Bronx-based school, Dan Ackerman, openly admits to monitoring what the students are doing during school-time; though it's unclear if they keep an eye on them outside of school hours.

Today's Question of the Day is: Do You Think Schools Should Be Allowed to Monitor Students Via School-owned Laptops?

Jane McEntegart
Contributor

Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.

  • Mousemonkey
    HELL NO!
    Reply
  • Shadow703793
    mousemonkeyHELL NO!Couldn't have said it any better. This is a clear violation of privacy (esp. for a female student).
    Reply
  • the_krasno
    What? NO! What kind of question is this Jane? D:
    Reply
  • h0llow
    If i had a kid, I'd also agree. HELL NO! There are enough low life pedos out there. So... What if he is one? That's my feeling.
    Reply
  • zerapio
    Silly question... NO
    Reply
  • goldrocker
    I'm surprised You even considered asking the question. Ofcourse not! Especially not by laptops that activate and film you while you're away from school. Let that be a parent's job.
    Reply
  • wenty
    Lets just let the government and school systems have our kids...... That way the parents can focus on being slaves to the elite.

    The American family system is broken.

    Time to wake up people.
    Reply
  • 4ILY45
    Via Webcam? Over my dead body!!
    can't they just packet sniff the student's laptops when they are at school?
    Reply
  • shadow187
    Watch the pedophiles flock to teacher positions.
    Reply
  • swisscheez
    Why dont the kids just put a piece of tape over the webcam when they arent using it? Bam, multi-million dollar lawsuit with a pennys worth of tape
    Reply