American parents of school-aged children may want to pay attention to where their cars are parked and for how long, as license plate reader data is now being cited by at least one school district when challenging whether students live where they say they do.
According to reporters at NBC 5 Chicago and Telemundo Chicago Responde, one resident of the Chicago suburb of Alsip is dealing with precisely that. Thalía Sánchez's daughter has been denied enrollment in Alsip Hazelgreen Oak Lawn School District 126 multiple times despite her having moved to the town from Chicago more than a year ago.
Sánchez told reporters that she had filed all the required documents with the district to prove residency, including a mortgage statement, vehicle registration, utility bills, and her driver's license, but the district repeatedly denied enrollment after citing license plate recognition data that it said showed her vehicle appearing overnight at Chicago addresses during July and August of last year.
Per the local report, Sánchez maintains she's been a resident of the home with her daughter since moving in, and that the vehicle was only in Chicago for that period because she loaned it to a relative.
It's not clear how it was determined that sightings of Sánchez's car at Chicago addresses over more than two months were enough to challenge her residency claim for her daughter's school enrollment. It's also not clear whether Sánchez was given the opportunity to appeal the decision, especially if automated license plate reading technology was involved in the determination.
We reached out to the district with questions, but didn't hear back.
A look at the district's residency web page suggests Thomson Reuters Clear is the software used to verify residency for Alsip district students. NBC 5 further found a contract between Thomson Reuters Clear and the district in its own investigation.
Thomson Reuters Clear, which more broadly is an AI-assisted records investigation tool, has a page dedicated to its application for school districts. It sells Clear as a tool for residency verification, claiming that it can "automate" such tasks with "enhanced reliability," and can take care of them "in minutes, not months."
One of the particular things the Clear page notes is its ability to access license plate data "and develop pattern of life information" that helps identify whether those who are claiming they're residents for the sake of getting a kid enrolled in school are lying or not.
Thomson Reuters does not specify where it gets its license plate reader data and did not respond to questions.
AI-assisted, license-plate reading cameras have come under scrutiny in the United States of late, with automated license plate reader firm Flock taking flack for its cooperation with ICE and general privacy concerns. There are thousands of Flock cameras in Chicago, Alsip, and surrounding cities. ®
Source: The register