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.
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