- East Para Primary School pupils to have fingerprints scanned as part of new student attendance record-keeping program
- By BRYAN LITTLELYTIM WILLIAMS
- 08/02/2015 Make a Comment (1)
- Contributed by: Rambo ( 5 articles in 2015 )
East Para Primary School students will have their fingerprints scanned as part of a new attendance record-keeping program. This is not the same device.
SCHOOL children as young as five will have their fingerprints scanned next week for a biometric roll book in a move that has outraged parents.
East Para Primary School parents were advised by electronic newsletter their children would have their fingerprints scanned as part of a new student attendance record-keeping program.
The system, already used by teachers at the school, will allow students to register they are at school by placing their finger on a pad.
Parents have been told their concerns about privacy of children is unwarranted as the program does not store fingerprints but instead “creates a template of the unique fingerprint characteristics”.
“At no time is a fingerprint image ever stored. No fingerprints can be recreated by the template,’’ the advice, signed off by principal Bob Greaves says.
School mother Sandra Tomasin said she was disgusted by the move and immediately rang the school to ask that her Year 1 son be exempt from the program.
“They have told me that I have no choice,’’ Ms Tomasin said.
“It is an invasion of privacy. I don’t want to let it happen but I want to keep him at the school.’’
Ms Tomasin said regardless of whether or not finger prints were stored by the system, primary school children having to scan their fingers when they came and went to school was outrageous.
“The picture I have in my head is these little kids getting finger printed and lining up like they are prisoners in a jail to be scanned into class,’’ she said.
“What is wrong with the old way of doing a roll call?”
The school also plans to use the program for parents, visitors and volunteers.
“In 2015 you may have noticed that when you visit for an assembly, your children are late or you have taken them early we now manually register all this information using a computer,’’ the newsletter says.
“This enables us to manage roll books more efficiently and keeps a current record of all students, staff and visitors at any given time in case of an emergency.’’
The biometric prints are designed to make the recording of that information automatic rather than manual, the advice states.
Association of Independent Schools of SA chief executive Carolyn Grantskalns said some private school boarding houses used thumb scanners to keep track of students.
“I suggest there are several boarding houses that use it because over the weekend boarders are in and out all the time, whereas school attendance is more predictable. I don’t know of any schools that use it as a general attendance check,” she said.
“It doesn’t breach anyone’s privacy because all it is doing is confirming you are where you are supposed to be, and makes it impossible for anyone to check in as you if they aren’t you.”
Scotch College director of advancement Abhra Bhattacharjee said the boarding house had iris-scanning technology installed but not in use, with the school opting for electronic wristbands instead.
Immanuel College spokesman Steve Blight said the school had dispensed with thumb scanning for boarders because the technology had proved unreliable. They were replaced with electronic ID cards that were also used to access other school buildings and borrow library books.
An Education Department spokesman said the finger scan technology would help accurately track attendance.
“East Para Primary believes the move will encourage students to arrive on time and help staff ensure children who are collected from school early are gathered by the proper guardian,” he said.
East Para Primary School parents were advised by electronic newsletter their children would have their fingerprints scanned as part of a new student attendance record-keeping program.
The system, already used by teachers at the school, will allow students to register they are at school by placing their finger on a pad.
Parents have been told their concerns about privacy of children is unwarranted as the program does not store fingerprints but instead “creates a template of the unique fingerprint characteristics”.
“At no time is a fingerprint image ever stored. No fingerprints can be recreated by the template,’’ the advice, signed off by principal Bob Greaves says.
School mother Sandra Tomasin said she was disgusted by the move and immediately rang the school to ask that her Year 1 son be exempt from the program.
“They have told me that I have no choice,’’ Ms Tomasin said.
“It is an invasion of privacy. I don’t want to let it happen but I want to keep him at the school.’’
Ms Tomasin said regardless of whether or not finger prints were stored by the system, primary school children having to scan their fingers when they came and went to school was outrageous.
“The picture I have in my head is these little kids getting finger printed and lining up like they are prisoners in a jail to be scanned into class,’’ she said.
“What is wrong with the old way of doing a roll call?”
The school also plans to use the program for parents, visitors and volunteers.
“In 2015 you may have noticed that when you visit for an assembly, your children are late or you have taken them early we now manually register all this information using a computer,’’ the newsletter says.
“This enables us to manage roll books more efficiently and keeps a current record of all students, staff and visitors at any given time in case of an emergency.’’
The biometric prints are designed to make the recording of that information automatic rather than manual, the advice states.
Association of Independent Schools of SA chief executive Carolyn Grantskalns said some private school boarding houses used thumb scanners to keep track of students.
“I suggest there are several boarding houses that use it because over the weekend boarders are in and out all the time, whereas school attendance is more predictable. I don’t know of any schools that use it as a general attendance check,” she said.
“It doesn’t breach anyone’s privacy because all it is doing is confirming you are where you are supposed to be, and makes it impossible for anyone to check in as you if they aren’t you.”
Scotch College director of advancement Abhra Bhattacharjee said the boarding house had iris-scanning technology installed but not in use, with the school opting for electronic wristbands instead.
Immanuel College spokesman Steve Blight said the school had dispensed with thumb scanning for boarders because the technology had proved unreliable. They were replaced with electronic ID cards that were also used to access other school buildings and borrow library books.
An Education Department spokesman said the finger scan technology would help accurately track attendance.
“East Para Primary believes the move will encourage students to arrive on time and help staff ensure children who are collected from school early are gathered by the proper guardian,” he said.
Source: https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/east-para-primary-school-pupils-to-have-fingerprints-scanned-as-part-of-new-student-attendance-record-keeping-program/story-fni6uo1m-1227210951407
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