Just when you thought people on to catch predator couldn’t be any more creepy, a schools Assistant Principle goes and out does all of them.

Assistant Principal Lindy Mastko of Harriton High School in Pennsylvania informed a student how he was “engaged in improper behavior in his home”; perhaps the kid was smoking pot or waxing his flesh rocket. None the less the fact that the Principal knew was enough for the parents to ask questions. Their response you ask? “The school district could remotely activate the webcam.”

Well good golly sweet molly it looks like our schools are spying on our children now. But that’s okay they released an official response to this on their website.

LMSD response to ‘invasion of privacy’ allegation

Updated 2/18/10 5:26 PM

Dear LMSD Community,

Last year, our district became one of the first school systems in the United States to provide laptop computers to all high school students. This initiative has been well received and has provided educational benefits to our students.

The District is dedicated to protecting and promoting student privacy. The laptops do contain a security feature intended to track lost, stolen and missing laptops. This feature has been deactivated effective today.

The following questions and answers help explain the background behind the initial decision to install the tracking-security feature, its limited use, and next steps.

• Why are webcams installed on student laptops?

The Apple computers that the District provides to students come equipped with webcams and students are free to utilize this feature for educational purposes.

• Why was the remote tracking-security feature installed?

Laptops are a frequent target for theft in schools and off school property. The security feature was installed to help locate a laptop in the event it was reported lost, missing or stolen so that the laptop could be returned to the student.

• How did the security feature work?

Upon a report of a suspected lost, stolen or missing laptop, the feature was activated by the District’s security and technology departments. The tracking-security feature was limited to taking a still image of the operator and the operator’s screen. This feature has only been used for the limited purpose of locating a lost, stolen or missing laptop. The District has not used the tracking feature or web cam for any other purpose or in any other manner whatsoever.

• Do you anticipate reactivating the tracking-security feature?

Not without express written notification to all students and families.

We regret if this situation has caused any concern or inconvenience among our students and families. We are reviewing the matter and will provide an additional update as soon as information becomes available.

Sincerely,

Dr. Christopher McGinley
Superintendent

Thankfully they have deactivated the security feature to track those lost or stolen laptops. What kind of a world is this when the schools are going to spy on their students? Next time a school offers you a free Apple Laptop be sure to double check there aren’t any security features on it that would allow them to tap into your web cam.

[Source Article]