A Washington state public high school has been condemned for forcing student athletes to wear ankle bracelets so that it could track anyone who has been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID track.
The pandemic began with the use of prison nomenclature like ‘lockdown’ and ‘isolation’, the use of criminal technology just doesn’t seem to come as a surprise.
“It’s just one more thing they’re doing to the kids through this whole covid thing,” father of two students at Eatonville High School, Jason Ostendorf, told The News Tribune. “The vaccine, now be tracked when you’re at practice. Where does this end? I feel like this is an experiment on our kids to see how much we can put them through before they start breaking.”
The high school said that both vaccinated and unvaccinated athletes who play on teams with high contact and moderate indoor contact, such as volleyball, basketball and wrestling, are required to wear the devices. The tracking devices, which were paid for by federal funds, are worn during practice to trace the proximity of one player to others in the event of a positive coronavirus case.
“We received grant funding (known as ESSER III) that specifically included provisions to support higher-risk athletic programs, and we used some of those funds to pay for athletic proximity monitors,” the statement reads. “We are using these monitors for high contact and moderate indoor contact sports. The monitors are for both staff (coaches) and students on the field, regardless if they are vaccinated or unvaccinated. If a student or coach tests positive, we will have immediate information regarding athletes’ and coaches’ contacts, so we can more tightly determine who might need to quarantine.”
If there is a positive coronavirus case, school coaches and administrators would use the devices’ data on players to determine who might need to quarantine. Vaccinated student-athletes can avoid quarantining and return to the field after three to five days if they test negative, The News Tribune reported.
“The proximity monitor contains radio-based sensors that track distance between individuals wearing the device, as well as length of time spent in proximity to one another,” the Eatonville School District said. “The monitor is only worn during participation in the sport.”
Parents were alerted to the tracking devices by the school district, which invited parents to a meeting, as well as by coaches and a parent consent form.
“I was notified if I didn’t sign it, they couldn’t play,” Ostendorf, whose son is a football player and his daughter is a volleyball player, said. “My son has played football since he was in third grade. He’s passionate about the sport. … I signed it reluctantly. It’s either that or he doesn’t play. … It’s not optional. If you don’t sign the waiver, they don’t get to play. You have no choice in the matter.”
‘Over my dead body, My kids would not participate and very well may take them out of school and do online schooling if I had kids in that school.
‘Ankle monitors are for criminals not children,’ commented Holly Laubsch on a Facebook post.
The measure has been deemed extreme and invasive, as vaccine and mask mandates have prompted a heated debate in states across the US, and fears of government overreach grow among parents.
‘Some of this stuff is getting NEW WORLD ORDERISH, and if anything, intrusive, overbearing and overreaching,’ commented Facebook user Khari Nellum.
Terry Elliot also voiced her discontent: ‘This is ridiculous! It’s almost like you’re shaming the students. If that’s not a form of bullying I don’t know what is.
‘The only students that have to wear the monitors have not had the Covid vaccine yet. Kids have enough stress these days.’
Only one Facebook user seemed to support the measure. ‘Being pro-active is a excellent way to Contact Trace, since it is inevitable that at least one person will get the virus or even have a positive Covid test.
‘Great thinking on someone’s part,’ David Giezentanner commented.
Despite the backlash, the Eatonville School District initially defended its decision, citing that the process had included ‘an invitation to a parent meeting, communication from the coach and a parent consent form.’
Sources: Fox News, Daily Mail
