Pictures taken at school

When I was in Year 9 (Ages 13/14) they took pictures of all of my year.

Lined us up in threes against a white background, took a picture and rushed to do the next three.

They never told us what they were taking pictures for. It definitely wasn't for us to have. And it wasn't optional. I wished I had asked back then but this was before my 'Deny Ignorance' days.

They just said you are going to have your pictures taken tomorrow so don;t be absent. After they had finished, nothing else was said.

I reckon they could be kept and if you go missing or something, they can use the picture if there aren't any others of you around (because you don't like having pictures of yourself ) - Hey, It's not paranoia if they're really after you

Or 'the government' keep a picture of everyone to store on their file so they can find you easier if they have to. They can age people quite accurately now.

Does this happen in other schools in the UK or anywhere else?

Does anyone know if there is a sensible reason behind taking pictures of people in this way?

[edit on 25/7/04 by Hyperen]

OH pISS TO COLUMBINE they say they take your pic no matter what because it is for the year book BUT THAT IS JUST WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO THINK!

I am in the UK - I left school 3 years ago (16 now), but every year at school (even in primary school) we had our pictures taken. We were told one set of pictures were for us, if we wanted to buy them (cheeky!), and another set was for them to keep; for records.

I just thought they were 'year books' (or whatever they are called here in the UK). But I have to admit, they did seem a bit suspicious. I expect it's just for what they say - records.

Originally posted by esther
by the way, i also live in a city where every classroom in every school in the district is also monitored by video cameras. my kid is on film every moment she is in school and the cameras can be logged into remotely by the school admin at any time. kind of creepy but after Columbine, i can understand it. but using our fear is how they legally implement these sort of things.

esther.

The cameras in certian areas really don't bother me. Especially in schools. I think that if you'd want them anywhere you'd want there to be someone keeping an eye on those that are responsible for shaping your childrens minds. These tapes can be used to find out if a teacher is abusive or other students. It's not like thay have them in the bathrooms. And I'm sure that a court can supoena coppies if needed as proof of a crime or incident.

I could only imagine if a child were abducted from school that their parents would be gratefull for the cameras if it identified who abducted them. Like last year I believe, that guy who abducted a girl right in front of a camera while wearing a shirt with his name on it. I believe it was a stripmall that he took her from tho.

Here is a fun one. A jail cam.
Wow, I just realised this is in Clinton Tenn. About 10 miles from the birth place of the atom bomb (Oak Ridge, Tenn)
I use to live there (Clinton), wonder if I'll see anyone I know.

DISCLAIMER
This is a real life transmission of the Anderson County Sheriff's Department. Instances of violence or sexually inappropriate behavior by detainees during the booking process may occur. Viewer discretion is advised. This is a Jail, not a simulation. The persons in this transmission are either employees of the Anderson County Sheriff's Department or arrestees.

www.tnacso.net...

Originally posted by esther
by the way, i also live in a city where every classroom in every school in the district is also monitored by video cameras. my kid is on film every moment she is in school and the cameras can be logged into remotely by the school admin at any time. kind of creepy but after Columbine, i can understand it. but using our fear is how they legally implement these sort of things.

esther.

Esther ? Are the parents allowed to log in to view their children and the teachers? Then at least there is some benefit to the general public and some checks and balances. Otherwise, or maybe either way, I would have a problem with it. Not being filmed per se, for reasons of security and such issues for playback when necc. , but the Administration having the right to log in anytime is a bit much. Do parents have the right to object?

Seems to me even in employment situations there is a notification process if it is needed to film, and if someone doesn't like it they can go elsewhere. But kids who are required to attend school? I see a lot of issues here unless the parents/guardians have as much right to log in as the administrator.

If I am missing something here please elaborate.

Im from WALES, in the uk, and to be honest with you all, I dont think anything like this has ever happend to me during all my school years. The only pictures we had were for us like every few years and the occassional class and year photo.

Originally posted by racos
Im from WALES, in the uk, and to be honest with you all, I dont think anything like this has ever happend to me during all my school years. The only pictures we had were for us like every few years and the occassional class and year photo.

How long ago was this, if you don't mind me asking.

It would be interesting to see when this started happening and if it happens everywhere as I am also from Wales.

Originally posted by Hyperen

Originally posted by racos
Im from WALES, in the uk, and to be honest with you all, I dont think anything like this has ever happend to me during all my school years. The only pictures we had were for us like every few years and the occassional class and year photo.

How long ago was this, if you don't mind me asking.

It would be interesting to see when this started happening and if it happens everywhere as I am also from Wales.

You all dont have year books in Wales?
I look back on them often.
I have all mine from kindergarden thru the end of highschool.

Originally posted by baked
You all dont have year books in Wales?
I look back on them often.
I have all mine from kindergarden thru the end of highschool.

Year book? I haven't ever had anything like that. I wonder if racos has.

i am in yr 10 now so i am 14 by the way i had them taken too we got to keep and copy but y would the schoolbe so nice and let us have a free picture for our paretns? if any wants me to find out any thing else from school just email me ok.

Hyperen, what did they do if someone was absent?

I don't believe that ever happened to me, but we did have every 2nd-3rd grades have a videotape done of them and fingerprints and all incase we were 'kidnapped' ...

Another thing I also remember is having these 'Dental Associates' come to our classroom in uniform (white or green) and hand out little foil packages with flouride in them.... a very high concentration of flouride to boot, I remember this as we were told NOT to swallow, I did go to school in a 'downtown' type of school, where our playground was all ashphalt.... and flouride is well known to cause many ill effects... and honestly what is our educational institutes doing administering dental and medical care? We have places for that? is it just because its easy to 'force' treatment? When parents especially foreign ones who's children most go to 'downtown' schools believe whatever their school systems promotes is indeed necessary.. which those flouride packages were not and have ruined the natural enamel on my teeth.

[edit on 22/12/04 by dnero6911]

May I suggest a more innocent explanation? Usually, these pictures are taken so some lucky photographer can make money selling them to the parents. Enough are appreciative so as to make it worthwhile. The pictures that aren't sold go in the garbage.

Please explain why the govt. needs to take pictures of schoolkids, who are going to grow, change and be unrecognizable as adults, when they can simply photograph every adult as they already do for passports, drivers licenses, healthcards and whatever else they need to ID you for?

At my school they take mugshots of all the pupils every year, so if anyone does something bad outside school, but is recognised as going to the school, the witnesses can identify the offender.

Maybe they are making a gennetically engineered super-soldiers, and they need to figure out who would be the best canidate for the job...

thats y they didnt pick me lol

there just for records probably in accordance with old policing/schooling policys and identification databases,its sometimes needed within departments to capture photographic evidence in multiples to pass on to linked departments such as housing and benefit,you wouldnt even know sometimes where that photos going.

I had the duty of delivering my yearbook to the local State Police Barracks. They use it for identification purposes. Such as in the event of an accident and you don't have ID on you or if someone reports a certain kid has done something that way they know what they look like.

I don't know if this is standard practice everywhere but it was quite weird walking in there and handing that thing over.

That was like six years ago I imagine the "need" for such things is higher post 9-11.

Although most the people on this thread are in the UK I don't know what good my story does.

I believe they keep a pic to staple to your file in their records, so that they can identify you for whatever reason necessary, perhaps, so they dont administer treatment or medications that may be dangerous to certain individuals by mistaken identity. Even though the computers hold your files now-a-days, they still have to keep paper records because of the risk of computer failure. OR perhaps they use these for I.D. cards, I dont know if all schools use them, but we had to carry I.D.s in my high school. Whats funny is, I skipped school so much that, I never had one taken ( except for the 9th and 10th grade, when I got my dorky school pics taken, after which I made sure to miss "picture day" for the rest of my H.S. days.-Mom, wasnt too pleased!) Now that I am older, I can see the importance of the photos.