Devon school delays fingerprint system

19th October 2009, 11:44am

The King Edward V1 Community College in Totnes, Devon, has delayed the introduction of the fingerprinting scheme to pay for school meals after parents objected, reported The BBC.

Letters were sent into the school in September about the initiative, objecting about privacy and the lack of consultation.

Parent Michael Wells told the BBC that the system not only invades privacy and erodes trust in children but also has no proven benefits.

To resolve this issue, the school is now offering the option of pin numbers instead of fingerprints.

The system, which converts fingerprints to a number which is unique to each student, is already in use at several other Devon schools.

A new letter is going out to parents by mail setting out the school's case for the dual biometric and Pin system.

Catering manager Simon Rothwell said the scheme has many benefits: "The biometric system helps with stock control, and enables me to see what food we are selling."

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