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Original poster

Have you come across fingerprinting in schools?

40 replies

Melmagpie · 14/11/2012 09:27

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?

OP posts:
DameEnidsOrange · 14/11/2012 17:17

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 Hmm

BoundandRebound · 14/11/2012 17:15

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

TimeChild · 14/11/2012 15:49

TalkinPeace and radical substitution, ditto for us

radicalsubstitution · 14/11/2012 14:18

Exactly the same as TalkinPeace.

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

TalkinPeace2 · 14/11/2012 13:16

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!

OneMoreMum · 14/11/2012 13:01

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.

eatyourveg · 14/11/2012 12:49

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

stargirl1701 · 14/11/2012 12:36

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 Grin Company came back and redid the whole school using the right index finger.

boomting · 14/11/2012 12:23

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.

tiggytape · 14/11/2012 10:03

This reply has been deleted

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tiggytape · 14/11/2012 10:02

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Jingleflobba · 14/11/2012 09:47

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.

Leeds2 · 14/11/2012 09:42

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.

Original poster
Melmagpie · 14/11/2012 09:31

thanks - I'll have a look.

OP posts:
Theas18 · 14/11/2012 09:29

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