Battle over biometrics

Schools across the country are beginning to use biometrics to have students log their attendance, pay for meals, and visit the nurse’s office. Administrators cite many benefits, among them efficiency. Finger scanning, one form of biometric technology, has sparked a backlash from parents and civil libertarians worried about identity theft and violation of children’s privacy rights.

In several cases when parents have objected, school districts have backed down, and some states have outlawed or limited the technology. This year, Iowa, which banned biometrics in 2005, has a bill introduced in its Legislature that would allow schools to use the technology again. Illinois is the only state that requires schools to get parental permission before scanning students’ fingerprints. Arizona is debating the issue now, where the ACLU says that collecting fingerprints is essentially treating students like criminals for the sake of efficiency. Here's more from Stateline.org.