Crossing the line with surveilance

This story is one which scares me quite a bit. A high school in Gig Harbor, Washington (where I attended a certain friend's wedding) has put up a full-time surveilance system. This was to fight crime and deter any would-be drug dealers. What happens next is interesting.

The dean of students said he saw two girls kissing. He checked the surveillance tape then shared what he saw with the parents of one of the girls. They then pulled her out of school, which then pulled the peninsula school district into a big controversy....“I think that that’s fine if they’re doing something they shouldn’t be doing. The surveillance is fine,” said Heidi Holmes, a Gig Harbor parent.
“We’re watching them at home, so we should be watching them at school too,” said Tim, Heidi’s husband.
The Holmes said surveillance cameras are a way of life. Helping prevent crime, identifying suspects and just giving folks a sense of security knowing the cameras are always watching.

Think about this. The students were being monitored when they engaged in an activity that broke no law, violated no school policy, and did not damage the learning process. And yet, the surveilance was used to punish the girls... and their parents are thrilled.

Freedom is not just for adults. And in this case, it was stripped away in the name of security. And what begins with our children will be visited back upon ourselves, because they will consider it the new normal.