SAN ANTONIO -- The case revolving around a local student who refuses to wear a high-tech tracking ID has moved from state court to federal.
John Jay student Andrea Hernandez claims her rights have been violated by being forced to wear the ID because of her religious beliefs.
The district wanted to move Hernandez, who had been attending a science and engineering magnet program at John Jay, back to her home campus at Taft High School, which does not use the new badges.
A judge granted a temporary injunction allowing Hernandez to stay at John Jay High School. The hearing scheduled for Wednesday was to decide if Hernandez would be transferred. That hearing has been canceled, and a date for the federal hearing has not been set.
The school district claims the high tech student IDs will increase school attendance and secure an additional $2 million in funding from the state.
The high tech student ID is implanted with a radio frequency ID chip that tracks students as part of a pilot program to better track student attendance.
The Hernandez family filed an injunction saying her refusal to wear it violated her freedom of religion. The family says they believe the card is the "mark of the beast."
The district confirms that a second student is also refusing to wear the ID based on similar claims.
"We need to let the judicial process work its course," NISD spokesperson Pascual Gonzalez told us. "Whatever that decision is, obviously, we're a law abiding organization and we teach kids to obey law. So, that is something we will do ourselves."
Issues of privacy are also being raised by an anonymous hacker. He took down the school districts website to protest the ID cards.
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