French school to kids: Wear this tracking device or pay a $12 fine

By Melissa Locker

July 23, 2018

The time-honored tradition of skipping school may soon be a thing of the past.

A French school has announced that it would like students to carry Bluetooth-enabled tracking devices so teachers always know where they are, especially if they are not in class.

The Lycée Rocroy Saint-Vincent de Paul, a private Catholic high school in Paris, has reportedly introduced a new policy requiring students to carry the keychain tracking devices, which were created by French startup New School. The little fob will be connected to a smartphone app so teachers can instantly take class attendance, and make sure the students are all accounted for during field trips, gym class, and emergency drills, and aren’t hiding in the bathroom instead.

You can’t “accidentally” forget your fob at home, either. Or you can, but it will cost you: The school will fine a pupil $12 for lost or misplaced fobs, or those left at home.

The new rule was introduced without consulting parents, according to the BBC, so if parents are wary of having their children tracked, they may want to write a strongly worded letter to the principal before the school year starts.

 
 

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