The Guardian reports that “More than 200 schools across Britain are using CCTV cameras in pupils’ toilets or changing rooms…” A couple of observations:

First, this is reason #199 that I’m glad my wife is willing to school our children in addition to bearing them and raising them (#6 on the way!). I really should have been collecting all these government school horror stories, it would make a great LRC article. Children in government schools seem like the government’s favorite target to try out new schemes of propaganda, control, surveillance, and police state tactics. Hey! Maybe government school really is a good preparation for life under the modern state!

Second, this does not surprise me. I’m guessing a bit, but I suspect the chain of reasoning that led to this outrageous practice went something like this:

1. Bad things are happening in changing rooms and toilets…bullying, sex, etc.
2. We should stop those bad things.
3. It is out of the question to fundamentally re-evaluate modern government schools.
4. So we’ll fix it by ratcheting up the level of control.

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