Florida considering biometric school ban
05 February, 2014
category: Biometrics, Government
Florida state legislatures are considering a proposal that would prohibit school districts from collecting biometric information – including fingerprints, handprints, iris and voice. The measure being considered by the lawmakers is part of a larger bill meant to address concerns over student data security. The fear expressed by biometrics skeptics is that the collection of students’ sensitive data can never be truly protected from private vendors and other third-party organizations, according to a report in The Miami Herald.
School board members in Miami-Dade have already approved a series of rules governing any future biometric programs. One of the stipulations will see parents provide written consent for the collection of their child’s biometric data, with the information not to be shared with outside entities.
Polk County parents were upset last year when they discovered that the school district had been scanning the irises of their children without prior parental consent. Meanwhile, biometrics has been met with less controversy in the Pinellas County school district, where officials have allowed schools to scan students’ palms in the cafeteria instead of accepting cash.
In addition to banning biometric data collection, the proposal mandates that parents must be notified annually about their rights regarding education records – a measure that is already required by federal law. Moreover, the bill will prohibit school districts from collecting information on the political affiliation, voting history or religious affiliation of a student, a student’s parent or a student’s sibling.