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New ID Cards Let Parents
Spy On What Kids Eat
By Stephen Naysmith
Education Correspondent
The Sunday Herald - UK
10-29-3


Schoolchildren are to be issued with a new "smart" ID card in a pilot scheme which will record what they eat and drink at school canteens and vending machines to allow parents to monitor their intake of chips and fizzy drinks.
 
The new Dialogue Youth cards are to be introduced on Wednesday at the new supercampus incorporating three schools in Midlothian, comprising Dalkeith High School, St David's High and Saltersgate school for children with special needs.
 
The use of the cards to monitor eating habits is the latest initiative introduced to fight rising levels of obesity amongst children.
 
The photo ID card is part of a cashless system in the dining areas. Once pupils have topped up the cards with credit, IT systems at the school will be able to record every purchase a pupil makes from the schools' canteen, cafe and vending machines. Those who choose salads and other healthy options will be rewarded with discounts or privileged access to activities.
 
The education department of Midlothian Council has confirmed that the cards will be used to monitor whether children are buying too many chips and fizzy drinks. If their diet is unhealthy their parents will be informed. If the pilot scheme is deemed a success it could be introduced by other local authorities.
 
Judith Gillespie, development manager for the Scottish Parent Teacher Council said she thought the idea was appalling. "If a kid can't indulge in a Mars Bar without parents being told, it is absolutely awful," she said. "As a parent I know that you are not wildly happy about them stuffing their faces with chocolate but for some kids that is a learning process they have to go through for themselves."
 
Parents and schools should not impose more monitoring on children than they would be willing to accept themselves, she said. "Some parents might not feel that it is a problem. Healthy eating is certainly a desirable outcome, but this smacks too much of Brave New World."
 
Sonia Kodiak, EIS representative for the region and a teacher at Dalkeith High, said staff had not been told who would be responsible for keeping tabs on pupils' purchases. "It might fall to guidance staff, but I would have thought they would have enough to do. It seems like a good idea for new pupils starting at the school when parents tend to be slightly more concerned. But when you have kids who are 14 or older I can't see how you could make them do anything."
 
Parents have had to sign up to allow pupils' details to be held under the data protection act, and some had refused, Kodiak said. "A few parents in principle would disagree and see it as being like an ID card."
 
©2003 Newsquest (Sunday Herald) Limited. all rights reserved.
 
http://www.sundayherald.com/37698


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