School Uniform Manufacturer May Install GPS in Clothing

Monday 27th of August 2007 01:29:49 AM

UK school uniform manufacturer, Trutex, recently polled over 800 parents and 400 school age children to determine if implanting GPS satellite tracking devices in school uniforms was something that the public wanted.

After another company, Bladerunner, began selling stab-proof clothing for children, many parents have placed orders. This type of clothing which includes sweatshirts, backpacks, and blazers is supposed to protect children if they are attacked by sharp objects.

According to the Trutex poll, 59% of parents would consider buying school uniforms that included GPS tracking devices. These devices would allow parents to know the whereabouts of their children at all times as long as they were wearing the clothing. Parents could easily find out if their children are where they said they would be or if they were somewhere else. "As well as being a safety net for parents, there could be real benefits for schools who could keep a closer track on the whereabouts of their pupils, potentially reducing truancy levels," Trutex's marketing director Clare Rix.

While most children under the age of twelve did not have any problems wearing the uniforms, those over the age of twelve were less enthused.

While uniforms with tracking devices would help in case a child is kidnapped or becomes lost, there is the question of privacy that even children are supposed to be entitled to, even in small doses.

(c)Lars Sundström, www.sxc.hu