Cristina Gonzalez
Staff Reporter
The walls are watching, as I walk down the hall. I am alone but I know in reality I’m not, because in some room I am a dot on a screen being tracked.
This is how I would feel if our student ID’s were implemented with a tracker that notifies our staff of where each student is at all times. This is how the sophomore Andrea Hernandez at Anson Jones High School in San Antonio must have felt.
I think the RFID system that has been implemented in San Antonio school district is the first step to a full invasion of privacy.
I know the system was established in that district as a means of improving attendance but ultimately it was to increase funding. I think that it’s sad how far that district had to go because of no money.
I read articles about Andrea Hernandez and her refusal to wear it. It made me angry when I read about her not being allowed to participate in school activities because she refused to wear her “proper ID” and instead she used her old one.
I find it unfair because they had originally told her that she could use her original ID for any school activities, but once the RFID chip was installed in their new ID’s those rights were taken away.
Her family attempted to sue but it did not change anything and that’s what frightens me the most. It scares me to think that she already tried to stand up and fight this, but she lost against the district.
The fact that our principal is not in favor of the RFID system reassures me somewhat, but it is not enough.
I see this system as a threat to all school districts in Texas. Though the system has not been adopted by AISD, who is to say that we will not be the next school district.
If that system were to be implemented at our school I would fight back just like Andrea attempted and if I were to lose, I would move schools.
It is changes like this that start changing our culture.
The more they try to push this on us the more we will be willing to give in and one day we will find ourselves comfortable. We must not let this happen because we still have a right to our own privacy.
If the time comes and I must resist, I will do anything to get Big Brother off my back.
Caitlin Starks
Assistant Opinions Editor
When talking about the risky subject of teen pregnancy, the opinions presented on the Eagle’s Eye editorial page have been one-sided.
Though babies are cute and fun to play with, it takes a lot of strength, courage, and willpower to give your baby its best shot at having a good life.
Something that most teenagers don’t understand is that the baby, if kept, has to become the sole responsibility of the mother and father.
When you have a baby you can’t hang on to your “YOLO” days or your nights of not coming home until 3am. You must be there for your child 24/7.
This includes (but is not limited to), giving up days and maybe even weeks of your education.
Without an education how are you to support yourself, let alone a baby?
And after having a child it is not just your education that will suffer.
Times are hard for a vast majority of us but adding a baby into your financial equation will only make things worse for you and your family.
Do you have the money to pay for thousands of diapers?
It’s true that there are options for teenagers who without a doubt wish to keep their child.
You can always receive welfare payments and help from the child’s grandparent(s).
However if you cling to your parents for too long and don’t figure out your own way to support yourself and the baby, that child will grow up believing it can depend on you the same way you depended on your parents.
Obviously this does not apply to a lot of teenage parents but there are some who never learn to do the right thing and it only helps to teach the child to have bad lifestyle choices.
Choosing to have the baby means that you choose to be a parent and to be a parent you have a lot of growing up to do before you can really give the child a good life.
In any case if you are not up to the challenge, there is always adoption.
Though I will not condone abortion, adoption is a safe, foolproof way of giving your child its best shot at life.
More often than not, teenage mothers or fathers will say, “Let’s keep the baby, we are going to love it and it will love us and everything will be perfect.”
But realistically, keeping a baby and taking on the role of a teenage parent is not the best option for your future or the child’s future.
A baby needs comfort, are, attention, gentleness, and structure at all times.
Can you honestly say that you are ready to give up your social life and take care of a being that depends completely on you?
It goes without saying that giving up your child would take a lot of courage.
But if you really loved that child it would be something to consider.
The child could grow up in a safe, stable home with people who will care for it dearly.
