SAN ANTONIO, Texas (WordNews.org) Nov. 15 2012 — A Texas high school student is challenging the school’s requirement that she wear a name bad containing a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip.

Andrea Hernandez, a sophomore at Jay High School in San Antonio says she has concerns about her religious freedom being violated by the Student Located Project, which includes the policy that requires students wear the RFID-imbedded badges. The program was launched to increase student attendance rates. As part of the pilot program, 4,200 students at Jay High School and Jones Middle School are being required to carry “smart” cards.

Rutherford Institute sent a letter to the school in support of Hernandez’s objections.

RFID tags produce a radio signal by which the wearer’s precise movements can be constantly monitored.

Constitutional attorney John W. Whitehead is demanding that school officials accommodate students’ requests to opt out of the surveillance program.

“Once looked to as the starting place for imparting principles of freedom and democracy to future generations, America’s classrooms are becoming little more than breeding grounds for compliant citizens—and these RFID surveillance programs are just the tip of the iceberg,” Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. “Forcing a student to express support for a program she finds repugnant is just as unconstitutional as prohibiting a student from voicing her frustration with that program.”

The Northside Independent School already boasts 290 surveillance cameras. School officials hope to expand the program to the district’s 112 schools, with a student population of 100,000. Implementation of the system is estimated at $500,000, but district officials say the school stands to make $1.7 million from the state by increasing attendance.

High school sophomore Hernandez, a Christian, said she was informed by school officials that “there will be consequences for refusal to wear an ID card.” For example, students who refuse to take part in the ID program won’t be able to access essential services like the cafeteria and library, nor will they be able to purchase tickets to extracurricular activities. Hernandez wasn’t able to vote for homecoming king and queen after school officials refused to verify her identity using her old ID card.

The Rutherford Institute said school officials offered to quietly remove the tracking chip from Hernandez’s card if she agreed to wear the new ID without the imbedded RFID and stopped criticizing the program and publicly support the initiative. Hernandez refused the offer.