West Virginia district sets to use finger-scan system
24 October, 2011
category: Biometrics, Education
Students in Cabell County middle and high schools will soon be paying for their meals using fingerprint scanning technology, according to The Herald-Dispatch.
Cabell County joins other counties in West Virginia already using the technology in an effort to improve the speed and accuracy of school breakfast and lunch lines. The county sent out letters to parents notifying them of the change, but still questions and concerns have been raised regarding the fingerprint scanning system.
Department of Education and Cabell County officials explained that the scanner does not read a full fingerprint, rather its picks five points of the print and ties those points to the student’s account number. It’s no different than typing a number or scanning a bar code on a student I.D. badge.
The program will better protect students’ cafeteria account, while reducing clerical errors that can occur on breakfast and lunch lines. It also aims to eliminate the possibility of a students’ meal card being stolen and used by another student, and will halt the problem of students losing cards or forgetting account numbers.
Read the full story here.