Have you come across fingerprinting in schools?

[Melmagpie]

A friend is researching the prevalence of the fingerprinting of children in schools and I offered to post here - has anyone had experience of this? And if so was any parental consent obtained first?

[Theas18]

Yes and yes . Boys and parents consented. Lots of posts on here about it in the past. try search

[Melmagpie]

thanks - I'll have a look.

[Leeds2]

We use it in the primary school library where I work. Parental consent is obtained and, if not given, the children are able to borrow books by scanning a reader barcode instead. (All children have barcodes, even if their fingerprints have been taken, because the fingerprint scanner is notoriously temperamental!).

DD's secondary school introduced it over the summer just gone. I think it is used for afternoon registration purposes. Parental consent was requested, and parents were asked to contact the school if they objected so that an alternative solution could be found.

[Jingleflobba]

Yes, in DS's high school. Parent and child permission is obtained. It's also used in the other high school in our catchment area.

[boomting]

I've heard of it happening, but there's absolutely no way that I would let my children hand over such sensitive personal data for something so trivial.

[stargirl1701]

I work in a primary school in Scotland. The local caterer has fingerprinted the children in order to administer the school dinners. Parents had to give permission. Some opted out. It's a bit of a nightmare tbh. Initially the children were allowed to choose which finger - which of course they quickly forgot Company came back and redid the whole school using the right index finger.

[eatyourveg]

dc have it in for the school library - a letter came home first asking for permission - it wasn't compulsory

[OneMoreMum]

Our school uses it for school dinners (as do quite a few locally). It's great because there's no way they can lose their money / account card and I can pay into their account online, and even check what they have been eating.
It's only one finger, not the same as taking a full set of finger prints from a crime point of view, and all electronic.

[TalkinPeace2]

Yes
Its wonderful
They use a fingerprint reader to pay for food in the canteen so no cash changes hand (you load their account separately)
and the kids with FSM are not identifiable.
reduced theft
reduced bullying
diet management for those who need
whats not to approve

Right forefinger.
Consent form when you accept the place in the school.
I have absolutely no privacy worries about it at all as I doubt that terrorists really want to know what junk 1600 teenagers eat!

[radicalsubstitution]

Exactly the same as TalkinPeace.

Could be the same school if it wasn't for the fact that ours has

[TimeChild]

TalkinPeace and radical substitution, ditto for us

[BoundandRebound]

It's not fingerprinting, it's biometric scanning,which converts to a mathematical algorithm using points on the fingertip. The original scan is then discarded.

It is not identifiable beyond something like 1 in a seven thousand fingerprints and would nor be usable outside the school it is scanned for.

No permission is required but parents can opt out if they wish.

It can be used to run cashless catering, library, locker systems

Much better than other options IMO

[DameEnidsOrange]

Yes and yes

Used for food, not compulsory, DS has a PIN, as I had concerns about fingerprint data.....I was called a feckwit on another thread for being worried though

[poozlepants]

OMG it's Buck Rogers in the 25th century.

[BoundandRebound]

Well you're not a feckwit but possibly you're a little on the paranoid / conspiracy theorist side?

It is in the end the parents decision and they can opt out if they wish but there is no requirement for schools to do an opt in to it

[RedGreenRouge]

Dsd's school use it for printing. She objected and now cannot print anything out without asking a friend.

[BoundandRebound]

Pin codes are easily stolen or 'borrowed', cards are easily lost, stolen of broken and expensive and time consuming to replace.

I fully accept anybody's right to refuse to do anything they're uncomfortable with but don't understand what is the issue if I'm honest. The algorithm can't be used outside the school. There's no identification risk.

[TalkinPeace2]

RedGreenRouge
why / what did she object to?
it seems an eminently sensible way to track printer documents IMHO
might mention it to DCs school

as even 'hacking' the database will tell you a LOT less than looking at their facebook pages !!

[OwedToAutumn]

DD2 has this for the school canteen. There are cashless queues and cash queues, and I bet you can guess who gets served quicker! Also, money is so unhygienic, so a good idea, as far as I am concerned.

At DD1's school, it is a cashless system, but they scan a card, instead. There is no option there to pay in cash, at all.

[RedGreenRouge]

Talkin The school refused to tell the pupils any real information about the system. She objected to being asked to give over personal information without knowing what would happen to it. She's in her last year and they wouldn't tell her whether they kept the record or not. No conspiracy theories, just sensible caution about blindly agreeing to something which you know nothing about.

[TalkinPeace2]

fairy nuff
silly of the school
we were give an excellent information sheet

[SouthernComforts]

Yep, had it at my high school. I don't remember permission being sought but I could be wrong.

Was a PITA, used for dinner and getting library books. If your thumb print wouldn't scan you couldn't put money on your account so you didn't get a dinner. Also caused horrendous queues in the dinner hall for similar reasons.

[HecatePropylaea]

My children's schools have a cashless dinner money system and it's done with their thumb print.

I don't recall having to sign anything, but it was very well explained at the open evenings and in the handbook and all that.

I don't care anyway, what foul deeds can be done against my children with a thumb print?