CR80News | Idaho school district to use finger-scan system

Monday, July 14, 2008

Secondary schools in Nampa School District in Idaho will enable students this fall to use their finger to identify themselves instead of a student ID card when they buy school lunch.

While some parents have voiced privacy concerns, school officials stress that the new technology does not record a student’s fingerprint but instead assigns a unique ID to each student: “This is really great for students who frequently lose their ID card,” the spokesperson said.

According to Food Service Solutions Inc. a developer of the finger biometrics software, the system can:

–Eliminate lost or forgotten swipe cards, sharing of personal identification numbers, fraudulent ID card use or exchange, and card issue or replacement costs.

–Lunch lines move faster.

–Knowledge of a free or reduced-price meal plan can be kept private.

–No one can charge a meal to another person’s account.

Also, software designers say there is no way for a fingerprint to be reconstructed based only on the finger-scan data gathered in schools.

Regardless, the program is “not going to be forced on anyone,” says the spokesperson. Students will still have the option of using their ID cards as they currently do.

High schools in Jefferson County, W.V. will be implementing biometric finger scanning in an effort to provide security for the students’ cafeteria accounts. Purpose of the program, according to school officials, is to eliminate clerical errors and to provide students with an easy way to identify themselves when using the cafeteria.

Washington, D.C. students now need DC's One Card

Washington D.C. high school and middle school students now need a DC One Card to ride the city’s transit system. The card is a single ID card that gives students access to most D.C. government programs and facilities, including recreation centers, libraries, and the Metro.

School attendance and tracking system issues student IDs, visitor passes

ID Card Group, an online retailer of ID card systems, is offering a school attendance tracking software system designed for the needs of mid- to large-sized educational institutions. The Teacher-In-a-Box Attendance Tracking Kit includes hardware, software and accessories.

Illinois high school tests program to track bus riders

Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, Ill., is piloting a program that can track students on school buses. The goal is to increase safety while determining more efficient bus routes. The school rolled out the program in late January that provides each student with a card that the student uses as he enters or exits a school bus.

Tupelo School District considers biometrics to speed up lunch lines

The Tupelo School District in Mississippi has plans to introduce biometric finger scanners to identify students, according to the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. School officials say the use of biometric scanners will be used to speed up school cafeteria lunch lines, during breakfast and lunch.

Alabama schools in pilot program to track students riding buses

The Huntsville, Ala. school district is conducting a pilot program that will track when and where students get on and off the bus. Currently, three schools–an elementary, middle and high school–are involved in the pilot.

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Idaho school district to use finger-scan system