CAUTIOUS VICTORY TO THE SCHOOLS CAMPAIGNERS

The Labour/Tory coalition has been rattled by real people power.

After the SSP’s call for a demo outside the council chamber at tonight’s planned butchery of our children’s schools and our call for a public meeting next Wednesday (see HERE), over 150 members of the public crammed into the council chamber and overflow annexe. The outpouring of disgust at the planned school closures crossed the constituency as PTA’s, parents and independent councillors joined with us and made sure those who had planned using our children to pay for the bankers cuts knew we were not going to stand for it. The council, because of people power, kicked their own report and planned closures, temporarily, into the long grass rather than risk a split vote which could have brought down the unholy alliance of Tories and Labour.



Local SSP campaigner, Willie Telfer said, “getting so many people out in such short notice has been a victory for working class people in the East Dunbartonshire area. We will not pay for the casino money making that these millionaires have been doing with our savings and tax money. These schools are a credit and an asset to our communities and must stay open!”

He went on, “Although this is undoubtedly a temporary victory through pressure placed on the councillors by parents and parent councils, the majority who listened in the annex were left in no doubt a campaign must remain in place in order to keep vigilant as we know they will try to spring this on us again in the next 6 months- year.”


The meeting in Campsie Memorial Hall at 7.00-9.30 on Wednesday night will be going ahead in order to explain to parents and education workers what happened in the council chambers and what it means. We will also be planning a Save Our Schools campaign - making sure we are ready for the next attempt at making our children pay for the cuts.

Speakers will include SSP activist Willie Telfer; Lennoxtown Primary School parent and campaigner Gerry McTiernan; local Independent Councillor Charles Kennedy and Glasgow Save Our Schools coordinator, Richie Venton.

1/4 of Primary Schools to close in East Dunbartonshire

After the extremely flawed survey sent out to all homes in September last year, the Labour/Conservative coalition in Tom Johnston House have decided to close eight Primary Schools in East Dunbartonshire. (Our response to the "review" is HERE)

There will be a demonstration outside Tom Johnstone House, Kirkintilloch tommorrow (Thursday 2nd June) at 5.30pm to meet Councillors who have taken part in this decimation of provision to our children.

A meeting has been called in Campsie Memorial Hall (see below for directions to hall), Lennoxtown next Wednesday 9th June 7pm-9.30pm - representatives from all schools and communities effected(parents, education workers, PTA etc)are welcome. This meeting will be to help set up a Save Our Schools campaign in the area - a non-party campaign. Introducing the meeting will be local campaigner, Willie Telfer and Glasgow Save Our Schools coordinator, Richie Venton, who will be offering advice in building a campaign - and offering facilities to help with the campaign.

All issues will be discussed, including school rolls, travel etc.

Closures announced :

Twechar Primary School
Auchinairn Primary School
Baldernock Primary School
Gartconner P.S.
St Agathas P.S.
Lennoxtown P.S.
Lenzie P.S.
St Josephs P.S.

Directions to Campsie Memorial Hall (click on "view larger map" for road directions)


View Larger Map

Public Meeting

SAY NO TO CUTS!
Don’t make our children pay.
Bail out jobs and services, not bankers profits!

Meeting on Wed 21 April in Kirkintilloch Leisure Centre
Conference Room - at 7.30pm.

Speakers
COLIN FOX, SSP CO-SPOKESPERSON
WILLIE O'NEIL, LOCAL SSP PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATE
MEMBER OF SCOTTISH AFGHANI COMMUNITY

Sign the Scottish Government petition - what impact do these closures have?

Sign the Petition:
"Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to conduct a public investigation into the impact the proposed closures of schools and nurseries by local authorities has on education policies, class sizes, childrens health and safety, social inclusion, jobs, and whether the process of consulting with parents and wider communities on the provision of education complies with local authorities statutory duties and democratic principles."

Click on the petition below to go to the online petition:

Video from inside the Occupied Schools!

The Occupiers Speak! Richie Venton, Glasgowe Save Our Schools Organiser, in discussion with the women occupying St Gregory's Primary and Wyndford Primary in Maryhill, Glasgow.

Save Our Schools - GLASGOW DEMONSTRATION!

EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE SCOTTISH SOCIALIST PARTY WELCOMES CONSULTATION ON BIOMETRIC FINGERPRINTING IN SCHOOLS

The Scottish Socialist Party welcomes the decision by Education Cabinet Secretary Fiona Hyslop for a consultation on the draft guidance for the use of biometrics in schools.

The Scottish Socialist Party have had concerns about this technology since being informed by concerned parents in East Dunbartonshire whose children will be attending the new build schools.

East Dunbartonshire Scottish Socialist Party spokesperson, Bill Newman commented, "The introduction of Biometric fingerprinting in schools has no educational or safety value. It is imperative that the use of these systems is frozen until this consultation takes place. Children are being conditioned to the 'surveillance society' without really knowing what it means.”

The Scottish Socialist Party echo the questions raised by the Leave Them Kids Alone campaign (http://www.leavethemkidsalone.com )

1. Why did the school not give parents adequate notice of its intention to fingerprint children?
2. Why was there no proper consultation, and why were parents not asked to give their explicit written opt-in consent before any children could be fingerprinted?
3. What advice did the school receive from the manufacturer and others before deciding on this policy?
4. Aside from manufacturers' anecdotal claims in advertising material, can the school give me details of any independent research proving benefits to my child of using this system?
5. Has any independent research been carried out regarding the effect on children of repeatedly using biometrics on a daily basis in a familiar setting?
6. What steps is the school undertaking to teach my child about the dangers of misusing their biometric data?
7. The manufacturer claims that this system does not store my child's fingerprint, but surely if the biometric template it stores isn't the direct equivalent of a fingerprint, rather like the difference between a drawing and a photo, then the system simply wouldn't work?
8. Given that there are international standards to ensure that biometric templates from different manufacturers are compatible (so what's stored on one system can be read by any other, including government systems) how does the school respond to the statement made by Microsoft's Identity Architect Kim Cameron that "It is absolutely premature to begin using 'conventional biometrics' in schools"?
9. Given that neither the DfES, the Information Commissioner, nor BECTA have to date issued guidelines concerning the human rights implications of the use of biometrics in schools, who, prior to the introduction of the system, told the school that it was legal to implement the system without seeking explicit parental consent?
10. Will my child be photographed as well as fingerprinted?
11. Will all and any such photographic data be destroyed along with fingerprint templates when my child leaves school, or if I change my mind at any time?
12. Who, under existing legislation, including the Children Act and the government's stated commitment to widespread data sharing, may access my child's biometric template and associated data as stored on the system? The police? Social services? Civil servants? Technicians from the manufacturer carrying out routine maintenance? The large private multinational PFI companies that now run some LEAs e.g. Amey, Nord Anglia? The private companies running City Academies that may have access to children's data?
13. Would the school permit 'fishing expeditions' in the stored biometric data (e.g. if the local police were trying to find a match for a crime mark they suspected may have been left by a child from the school)? What would the school do if such a search revealed TWO probable matches?
14. Bearing in mind that my child's biometric template remains valuable for their entire lifetime, since it can't ever be changed, where is the biometric data stored, where are backups stored, and what security procedures are in place to prevent unauthorised copying of, or any type of access to this data? How will the school know if the data has been copied? What procedures would be followed if the main computer or backup system storing the data were stolen?
15. Is the computer holding the data connected to the school network and/or the internet? What active measures are taken to ensure the biometric data cannot be accessed by third parties via any such connection(s)?
16. Can the school guarantee that the data, including any backup copies, will be promptly removed as soon as my child leaves school, or if I change my mind at any point, by an approved professional data cleansing company as required by the Data Protection Act? Will the data-cleansing company certify in writing that the biometric information has been satisfactorily removed? (This requirement was confirmed by the Information Commissioner on 9 Feb 2007.)
17. Given that the encryption used by the system cannot possibly be guaranteed for the entire lifetime of my child, and that fingerprint templates from different manufacturers are compatible and interchangeable in accordance with INCITS 398 or NISTIR 6529, will the school accept full liability if my child's biometric template stored on the system is compromised at some future point?
18. As new pupils join the school, will you regularly seek explicit informed written parental consent before fingerprinting them (as recommended by the Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas on 30 January 2007)?
19. Where fingerprinting is used for school registration, what backup strategy will the school implement to ensure that if any part of the system fails before registration is complete, a full and accurate record of those children at school will be available in the event of an emergency evacuation at the start of the day, e.g. in the event of a fire?

References: The statement made by Microsoft's Identity Architect Kim Cameron - http://www.identityblog.com/?p=733

Tell Parents about fingerprinting - http://www.computeractive.co.uk/computeractive/news/2174570/guidelines-parents-involved

InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards

http://www.incits.org/scopes/1622r.htm

http://xml.coverpages.org/XBCF-NISTR6529-CBEFF.pdf

Education Guardian, Tuesday January 30 2007, “Schools advised to seek consent before fingerprinting pupils” - http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2007/jan/30/schools.uk2

Paper by Andrew Clymer, senior identity management security expert, “Do Biometrics have a role for school registration?” -http://www.leavethemkidsalone.com/insecure.htm

Announcement of Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Fiona Hyslop of a consultation on draft guidance on the use of biometrics in schools. -

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/09/09111501

Biometric Fingerprinting in Schools

READ MORE ABOUT HOW THIS ISSUE AFFECTS YOUR CHILD HERE

The local authority have said that this measure combats bullying. Will this lead to bullies carrying plasticine? Watch this video - click HERE