With Schools using biometric finger scanning 'ID's get lost, but kids can't lose their thumbs'

Lockport Township High School District 205's new lunch line system will ease cafeteria congestion, officials said. And with lunch payment now possible with the swipe of a student's thumb, bullies won't be able to steal someone's milk money, officials joked. District 205 introduced a new lunch management system at Lockport Central High School last week. District officials expect to implement the program at Lockport East High School later this month. The voluntary system uses biometric finger scanning, said Rick Lesniak, business director. It identifies several points on a person's finger and creates a template, which is saved and used, but fingerprint templates can not be created, he said. Finger swiping should not be confused with fingerprinting. To participate, the school uses personal information to identify students and their account information. Stephanie Croix, District 205's assistant business manager, said the lunch accounts are similar to debit card accounts because every swipe will deduct the appropriate funds. The program allows students to add money in $25 increments into their account. The new system, which was initially presented to district officials in January, was approved at an April meeting. District officials visited Geneva High School in Geneva in the spring, where Croix said they saw a high ratio of students move quickly through the lunch line. Geneva School District 304 has been using a similar system for more than two years. Becky Selcke, general manager of District 304's contracted food service company, said it's easier to identify the students from kindergarten through high school. "ID's get lost, but kids can't lose their thumbs," she said. "It makes it easier on everyone." Croix said they witnessed three students swipe their thumb for transactions in the same amount of time it took for one cash transaction.