A Washington public high school is forcing student athletes to wear ankle monitors in order to help with COVID-19 tracing efforts. Eatonville High School bought the devices for both coaches and students to be used in sports. Students who play volleyball, basketball, football, soccer and basketball are required to wear the devices by the school.
The ‘TraceTag’ monitors are made by a company called Triax. The devices have both visual and audio sensors that alert students when they are too close to each other. They also collect contact-trace data later used to identify which students have had contact with students who test positive for the virus. According to the district, the devices are only used during games or practices.
The school was able to fund the purchase of the monitors with a grant they received. ‘We received grant funding that specifically included provisions to support higher-risk athletic programs, and we used some of those funds to pay for athletic proximity monitors,’ the district said in a statement. “We are using these monitors for high contact and moderate indoor contact sports. The monitors are for both staff and students on the field, regardless if they are vaccinated or unvaccinated.” Read more…
