High School Football Players Asked To Wear 'Ankle Monitors' For COVID

If you thought high school often felt like a prison, just be glad you weren't a member of the Eatonville (Wa.) football team. Though they were spared the embarrassment of prison striped uniforms, working in the mess hall and group showers, the high school football team was asked to wear parolee-like ankle monitors to trace COVID cases.

Student athletes participating in football, soccer, volleyball and basketball were required by the high school to wear a 'TraceTag" ankle monitor created by Triax. The monitors can identify someone with COVID, and they can also send audible and visual alerts to participants who are deemed to be standing too close to one another. Both vaccinated and unvaccinated students are required to wear the extra piece of equipment.

The public school's decision to treat their student athletes like prisoners has, predictably, not gone over well.

Amidst the controversial decision to monitor students, Eatonville High School released the following statement: “This system prevents taking students out of school and athletics unnecessarily. It allows us to keep more students engaged and involved in class as well as athletic activities. This is a top priority for staff and families here in Eatonville. This school year we can expect numerous changes and for situations to be dynamic.”

Don't be surprised if students are soon "asked" to form a chain gang and clean up debris-filled parking lots following practice.