Biometrics in schools

Children's Biometrics in the House of Lords

2011-11-14T13:53:00.001Z

The Protection of Freedoms Bill had it's second reading in the House of Lords last week and some peers spoke in a positive manner about gaining consent of parents before schools take and process children's biometrics.

Lord Henley -

"it is right that parents should be asked tomake an informed decision about whether to accede to the processing of suchinformation. It is also proper that pupils should have a say."

The Lord Bishop of Bristol -

"I back the protection of biometric informationon children in schools, with parental consent being required for processinginformation"

LordKennedy of Southwark -

"Proposals regarding the express parental consent for the use of children's fingerprints are welcome"

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) tweeted that "Pleased to see Lord Lucas supporting ASCL's objections to restricting biometrics in schools in yday's Lord's debate. http://t.co/TlxwoxxR"

As the ASCL rightly state there was one peer, Lord Lucas, who indeed spoke of the section on biometrics in school as a "daffy overreaction". (daffy?) Lord Lucas also commented that biometrics in schools...

"...have great benefits. They improve safety. They improve privacy. They greatly improve efficiency."

If biometrics in schools do have such above beneficial effects what has the ASCL or Lord Lucas to be frightened about gaining parental consent. Surely given the above claims, parents should willingly embrace this technology and thereby give consent. Schools gain consent for all manner of activities, it is a process they are familiar with.

I would be interested to see validation of Lord Lucas's claims. Claims that remind me of the previous Labour Government waffle justifying using childrens biometrics in schools for mundane tasks, and of course, claims made by companies selling access, registration and security systems to schools.

Infrared palm scans out-biometric fingerprints for school lunches

2011-09-17T13:16:00.001Z

What is so wrong with school fingerprint biometrics that warrants over $100,000 being spent on biometric palm scanning equipment to replace an existing fingerprint payment system? Source Palm Harbor News, Florida

Did the fingerprint system break down, is it not secure enough or perhaps the new vogue in biometrics for kids is the infrared palm scanner?

Or maybe fingerprint biometrics are just not fast enough to propel students at the desired speed through cafeterias as "this high-tech scanning system will make the lunch line move faster" ...faster even than fingerprint biometrics? Undoubtedly, biometric vendors will be selling differing biometric systems to school by 'miles per hour' lunch line speeds!

"The new palm-scanning program, piloted at Boca Ciega High School, cost the district $105,000. It replaces a finger scan system used in county middle and high schools since 2005.

"Pinellas County Schools are the first in the nation to use a palm scanning system"

A proud claim indeed. Of course, we have Scottish children to thank for Boca Ciega High School's first infrared claim, although competition is hot on their heels by kids in Reading Schools District, Ohio.

The Amey/ Fujitsu palm scanning technology was first introduced to Scottish primary schools back in 2007. Presumably the Scottish trials went well enough to market infrared palm scanning to the US. After all the US had around 49 million school children as opposed to an approximate meagre 9 million in the UK. A more lucrative US market, especially when imminent legislation here in the UK may require full parental consent to be gained by schools for biometrics to be used with students.

The speed of which school lunch queues move seems to be an ever evolving, publicly expensive, obsession held by schools and biometric companies on both sides of the pond.

Here's an idea, maybe the thousands of pounds and dollars spent on such systems could be invested in childrens education instead?

Protection of Freedoms Bill: Committee Stage Report Bill

2011-06-29T10:20:00.001Z

The Protection of Freedom Bill Research paper RP11/54 after discussion in the House of Commons:

"Biometric information - The provisions on the protection of biometric information in relation to children were not amended in Public Bill Committee. Several amendments were discussed but none was successful. Members probed the Government on issues relating to parental consent and safeguards on the use and retention of children’s biometric data. While supporting the principle of consulting parents, the Opposition was concerned about schools being able to manage their affairs effectively."

Solving problems and proving claims

2011-04-27T13:34:00.022Z

There is no doubt that biometrics are here to stay and I'm no Luddite about that.  The general use of biometrics in UK society has been introduced to us all via our children, that it 'if' we are even aware they are using the technology.

In my opninion this has been grossly mishandled by the biometric industry. The perception could be that it has been introduced it by stealth, aided by laws in the UK that have enabled this situation to happen.   In EU countries where Data Protection laws are more stringent, childrens biometrics are very rarely processed in schools.

Claims about biometric technology cannot be scrutenised to any great extent as schools and the previous government's apathy on the subject has not enabled any research to be done. Hence assertions made by industry and schools in defence of the use of biometrics in schools needs to be questioned.

Quoting from ASCL's General Secretary Brian Lightman:

"It [biometrics] means that students eligible for free school meals can take them up without being stigmatised"   So does a pin number system or alternative touch system. No 'expensive' cards necessarily needed. If a school can get pupils to pass exams then it can surely get a pupil to remember a pin number.

"...and parents know their children are not buying lunch at the chip shop."   Use a pin number system or alternative touch system.

"These systems prevent fraud and, with dinner money, intimidation and theft by other pupils."
Use a pin number system or alternative touch system. I've heard many an argument that using biometrics reduces bullying, such a claim indeed. Bullying exists in schools, therefore the school should deal with different bullying situations and teach children what is and what is not acceptable behavior, in all circumstances.

"Systems using cards are more expensive to install, more open to abuse and not as effective as cards are often lost, stolen or simply left at home." Use a pin number system or alternative touch system.

However, it could be argued that there are more benefits to the pupils than the administration of a school of having a card system. I.e. to encourage pupils to look after their identity, be aware where it is, how they have used it, see possible consequences if their identity card is lost, etc, none of which biometrics can really offer in the same way at the moment.

If the introduction use of biometrics had been made in the adult market in the UK we could possibly teach our chidlren how to manage the use of our biometrics, learn to keep track of where we have left our biometrics, who can access our biometric data and the data held against it, possible interoperability of biometric databases and where biometric data might end up, etc.   We are unable to do this and I would interested to know if schools are doing this - my guess is they are not.

"The information could not be used to identify a student outside of the school, by the police or any other outside organisation." How does he know that for sure?  As the ASCL and the biometric industry have close links maybe he got told that by them?

The reality is that there is software that enables Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) to communicate with each other so the possibility is there - see this link. Have any checks been carried out to see if his statement is correct? - no.

“Schools and colleges have invested heavily in this technology" You bet they have Brian. Here's Staffordshire County Council spending up to £4 million pounds on it.

And lastly...

“Biometrics in schools are a problem for a small number of pressure groups, not for parents."   I'm a parent and the Leave Them Kids Alone website was set up by a concerned parent too.

In fact, as far as I know, any website dealing specifically with the civil liberties issues raised by using biometrics in schools, have been set up and run by parents. Oh, and the reason why privacy groups have brought up the matter of schools fingerprinting children without our knowledge, is mainly because we parents have contacted them.

...and figures from Freedom of Information Requests

2011-04-20T14:21:00.005Z

After looking at the secondary school biometric figures yesterday I thought it might be useful to take a look at the primary school market.

I sent a Freedom of Information Act Request (FOIA) out last year to over 500 schools last February/March 2010, to both primary and secondary, about the use of biometrics in schools.

4% of primary schools that responded had biometric systems.
39% of high schools that responded had biometric systems.

These figures are by no means precise as the overall response to the FOIA was poor. The reality is that there are no collection of figures nationally and with poor response rates from schools it is impossible to gain any accurate figures.

Nevertheless, working with the results we have, this is does give a loose indication of where the UK school biometric market lies.

Figures, damned figures and statistics

2011-04-19T17:24:00.005Z

Following on from the previous post we are looking at the 'joint' article published on the 15th April by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and Planet Biometrics.

"Figures come from Biostore, the main supplier of identity management systems to secondary schools. Its client base includes over 1000 secondary schools, and it estimates that well over 1 million students use its finger based biometrics daily. Biostore’s work with schools shows that 2 users per 1000 decline to use biometrics. A 99.8% uptake of a voluntary process reflects the views of most of the public on this subject"

Both articles quote the above which is by the company Biostore who sell school biometric management systems. They understandably have a commercial interest to state that biometrics have a high take up in schools. It is taken from their written submission to the Freedom Bill.

Did parents specifically sign for consent?

Was it a parental opt out scenario, 'implied consent'?

Did the parents even know that their children were using their biometrics?

Is the 99.8% figure an indication of the uptake of children in a compliant school environment or an indication from fully informed parents and specifically gaining written consent?

Without knowing the answers to these questions the above statement is ambiguous and figures quoted should be questioned. For Biostore to then assume that the 99.8% uptake in schools reflects the general populations view on this is, in my opinion, rather hopeful.

I can only speak from experience, where in my sons primary school when parents were specifically asked by letter to sign to consent to the school using biometrics, approximately 20% of parents did not consent for their childrens biometrics to be processed. The school biometric system is now not in use.

Interestingly there are 3722 secondary schools in the UK (excluding Northern Ireland) with 3,560,384 pupils. If Biostore's "client base includes over 1000 secondary schools, and it estimates that well over 1 million students use its finger based biometrics daily" taking the figures literally at 1000 schools that means Biostore, at the very least, has 28% of the total schools biometric market.

Both articles quote that there is evidence that "30% of secondary schools have biometric systems".

Are we then to believe that one company, Biostore, has 93% of the high school market share...?

Planet Biometrics and the ASCL are literally singing from the same hymn sheet

2011-04-16T21:07:00.006Z

How funny! Planet Biometrics and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) on the 15th April both issued a news item about the use of biometrics with children in UK schools.  It is virtually identical, word for word.  What are the coincidences?

What I want to know is, who wrote the article?   Planet Biometrics?...because they are worried about sales figures, or the ASCL? ...because they cannot be bothered to fully involve parents with this emerging technology?

Both articles go on about how it will heavily inconvenience them both to fully involve parents with the storing and processing of their chidlrens biometrics - my heart is bleeding, really.   Although my heart is also warmed to see the biometric industry and schools working so closely, one could say almost psychically, together on this... though quite where the parents or childrens interest is in all this isn't clear from their articles.

On the plus side, it had been a bit slack on the biometrics in schools news front recently so it's nice for them to have jointly given me the opportunity to blog again.  In the next few days we'll look at exactly what the ASCL and Planet Biometrics are saying in their, seemingly, very joint statements and see whether or not it holds up.

Freedom Bill

2011-04-05T15:20:00.004Z

Without wanting to nit-pick points too much and argue with written submissions to the Freedom Bill Committee, I just wish to point out some facts to balance up statements made on the use of biometrics in schools included in some submissions.

The The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) have submitted a written submission to the Freedom Bill committee:

ASCL: "It is not clear why schools and further education colleges, respectable and responsible public bodies, are singled out in this chapter. If this data [children's biometrics] could be misused, it is surely more likely to be so by other organisations than these..."

Schools and further education are singled out because there has been, and still is, a parental backlash and worries, as posts to this blog will reveal and I am sure the Leave Them Kids Alone website would back this up too. And because childrens fingerprint biometrics do get stolen, potentially misused, as mentioned by one supplier of biometric systems to schools, details here,

ASCL: "School and college leaders are not aware of the use of this kind of technology causing any problems for any young person, nor of any but very isolated concern about its use amongst parents"

Well... no need to go any further than my previous post on this one, as teachers themselves won't use their biometrics, according to one of the biggest teaching Unions NASUWT, as they consider it "an infringement on their civil liberties".

The Home Office's advice to the Freedom Bill Committee on children understanding the issues of schools using their biometrics: "The issues around the use of biometric data are particularly subtle and complex, and even more mature children may not be able to fully appreciate them. In other areas such as marriage and making a will children under the age of 18 need parental consent. In our view the issues around the giving of biometric data are similar in that respect."

Okay to fingerprint kids - but teachers won't use biometrics

2011-03-22T15:55:00.004Z

Unbelievable! Headteachers moaning about gaining parental consent for processing childrens biometrics in schools when their own teachers won't use biometrics because teachers "consider giving fingerprints as an infringement of their civil liberties" ......Oh? So that's one rule for the kids and another rule for the teachers?

Headteachers have been glittered by the biometric sales industry, spent millions of pounds of our taxpayers money on biometric systems and have been glibly fingerprinting and processing our children biometrics, quite often without parents even knowing about it. All the Freedom Bill is doing is requiring Headteachers to take responsibility for their decisions to use this technology with children.

MP Jim Shannon in the House of Commons debate on this issue on March 1st, makes the point that it is "clear that parents must and should have a complete veto on the collection and storage of their children's genetic make-up"

And the Government's take on the financial impact is that it is "likely to have some financial impact on schools (administration and provision of alternative systems), however this is balanced against the non-financial benefit of protecting the civil liberties of children in schools and colleges"

Hear, hear - and what Headteacher would want to compromise the civil liberties of children in their care?

Warning for schools using biometrics

2011-03-18T14:56:00.003Z

SecEd issuing some advance warning of the future implications to schools processing childrens biometrics:

"Paula Williamson, a legal expert from The Information Law Practice, said: “In order for the consent to be valid it must be ‘fully-informed’. A school will need to give clear and comprehensive information to the parents and arguably the pupils in order for them to make fully-informed decisions about whether to give their consent.”

Parents should also be informed who the information might be shared with, for example schools may need to allow companies that run cashless catering systems to hold data, or may be compelled to share data with the police.

Also, schools cannot obtain this permission through an opt-out letter of consent, whereby parents not agreeing must actively inform the school. Letters must be opt-in.

...schools found to be in breach of these provisions face a potential fine of up to £500,000."

2011-03-16T13:27:00.000Z

It seems that across the world the UK is being held up as bad practice fingerprinting our children in schools.

This from James Heiser from http://www.thenewamerican.com/

"The decision to permit the mechanisms of the national security state to intrude into the most routine aspects of the lives of children as young as four is not only degrading and absurd — it is educating impressionable youths to take for granted that the State will track their every movement, action and thought for the rest of their lives.

Such needlessly pervasive interference in the lives of children is so scandalous that even continental European bureaucrats understand that it is wicked."

Biometrics for school toilets are here!

2011-03-02T22:11:00.004Z

Even I thought I'd never biometrics in schools used for toilet access...

"In one secondary school in West Lothian there is a hand pad system in place for primary school pupils housed there temporarily to gain access to toilets."

Biometrics in Schools briefing

2011-03-01T14:01:00.004Z

Over on the excellent Action on Rights for Children's (ARCH) website is a overview on the use of 'Biometrics in Schools' for the past 10 years in the UK.

A snippet from the report details the lengths biometric vendors are going to, to market biometric technologies specifically at teachers and parents:

"Some companies have engaged PR firms in order to promote their systems. Livewire PR, for example, were engaged by ‘Vericool’ to provide ‘crisis management’ for its registration system and describes its tactics as follows:

* Ensured that all news releases included implementation advice from the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) – a guideline developed in association with VeriCool - [Interesting to know the DCSF was working with the commercial biometric industry to develope guidelines, presumably separate to the guidance issued by BECTA. Was this ethical given that evidence suggests the DCSF failed to take advice from elsewhere?]

* Used ‘superfan schools’ to highlight the positive benefits of biometrics in education.

* Secured coverage on new school installations within the local media in a drive to educate parents about biometrics and dispel any myths surrounding fingertip technology.

* Commenced executive profiling programme for VeriCool spokespeople to educate teachers and parents about the benefits of biometrics."

Chichester High School for Girls - Why?

2011-02-25T15:51:00.002Z

Schools are still not communicating too well with parents, as headlines only this month portray - "Anger over school’s bid to fingerprint its pupils" at Chichester High School for Girls where they are assuming consent unless parents inform them otherwise.

Regardless of whether Chichester High School for Girls obtain consent now, they will have to try and collect 1463 (no of pupils) x 2 (parents) = 2926 signatures to continue using it during 2012.

Why would they buy such a system when swipe cards/pin numbers will be far less burdensome for them?

The logical long term implication is that the school potentially scraps biometrics and opts for an easier administrative system or the school uses it resources to collect and monitor signatures related to childrens biometrics they process - either way, what a waste of taxpayers money!

ATL union wecomes the Freedom Bill

2011-02-25T15:47:00.000Z

The teaching union ATL, Association of Teachers and Lecturers, welcome the provision for biometrics in schools in the Freedom Bill.

Ken McAdam, lead member adviser at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said: "ATL has been alarmed at the increasing number of schools that are fingerprinting their pupils, so we are pleased that schools and colleges will have to obtain parental consent before fingerprinting pupils."

Gov does Impact Assessment on parental consent for processing childrens biometrics

2011-02-18T15:22:00.002Z

Over on the Home Office's website is an Impact Assessment entitled:
"Requirement for schools to seek written parental consent before processing children's biometric data".

It is good to see a document coming from government raising concerns and offering solutions to the controversial subject of processing children's biometrics without parents consent.

It is, in fact, it is the only document that has ever been issued by our government concerning biometrics in schools, in the 10 years the technology has been in used by children.

The previous 'advice' issued by the now defunct quango Becta was issued without any consultancy, knowledge or research into the subject of biometrics whatsoever, legal, academic or otherwise, etc. This fact came to light in a Freedom of Information request.

In contrast the above Home Office document outlines many aspects to be considered when using childrens biometrics without their parents consent.

Freedom Bill 2010-11

2011-02-11T20:19:00.001Z

The Protection of Freedoms Bill was introduced in the House of Commons this morning and part of the BIll, Part 1 (Chapter 2) includes provisions to protect the biometric data of children in schools and colleges.

The Bill outlines the "Requirement for consent before processing biometric information" of children up to 18 years old.

A law pertaining to children using biometrics has been a long time coming and the whole Bill, including the regulation of biometric technologies and children, needs to be got right. It will be an interesting few months ahead.

Millions being spent on biometric systems

2011-02-08T13:21:00.005Z

I love Google! Type in "biometric cashless catering contracts" and on the first results page alone we have over £4.5 million pounds spent by two Local Authorities on schools biometric systems, as recently dated as December 2010.

Staffordshire Council have a 24 month contract worth £4 million of our tax payers money to dish out to the lucky winner and Warrington Borough Council are tendering for £259,500, quite paltry in light of Staffordshire's school biometric budget.

I wonder if anyone has told these Councils or schools about the forthcoming legislation that means parental consent will be compulsory in order to use a childs biometric detail... why not put an added job, the school has to do, into the equation? - that makes sense!

Freedom Bill

2011-01-24T22:57:00.003Z

Thursday 13 January 2011 - Children Fingerprinting

Question - Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick (Lords Hansard text from 13th Jan 2011)

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will end the compulsory fingerprinting of children at school without parental permission.[HL5389]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): The Government intend to introduce legislation in the Freedom Bill to ensure that no children's biometric data are taken in schools or colleges without parental permission.

Hansard Link here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldhansrd/text/110113w0001.htm#11011367000056

Movement ahead

2011-01-24T14:51:00.003Z

Well, the blog has been quiet here but there is, and has been, some movement behind the scenes - more hopefully by the end of the week...

Back after a break

2010-02-04T14:47:00.004Z

Well, life set in here for a while but recently biometrics in schools has reared it's head again - more systems out there in the UK and cropping up in other countries too.

Why is it okay to store our childrens biometrics and they exchange their biometrics for food, access, books when we as adults don't?

Check out the Facebook group "Stop schools fingerprinting children"

Liverpool councillors sever all ties with biometric technology in schools

2008-10-29T14:09:00.002Z

This from the Liverpool Echo:

"A meeting of the full council will be asked to express its formal “opposition to the fingerprinting of children by schools” and a ban on any local authority-led promotion of its use save for a criminal investigation.

Picton ward councillor Andrew Makinson who is behind the motion said the £20,000 average cost of installing it could be better spent on school staff.

He said government mishaps with personal information was proof all systems were vulnerable.

Council leader Warren Bradley stressed it had always been down to individual schools to adopt the technology.

He added: “It would be wrong to implement a policy and support something which could potentially be of detriment to the protection of our children.”"

Biometric systems 100% safe?

2008-10-29T13:51:00.004Z

Nunnery Wood High School in Worcester is planning to use children's fingerprints for logging pupils in and out of school and for cashless catering systems.

The system is on trial at the moment with a view to it being fully implemented in 12 months but there are concerns from parents, one parent, Angie Wilkes, stated that:

“Biometric data, when included on UK passports, was hacked within two weeks by Lukas Grunwald, a consultant with a German security company, using a piece of software costing £105,”

You can understand her concerns, yet the school insisted that "the system is 100 per cent safe" - mmm... no system is 100% safe.

"Headteacher Alun Williams said the school had taken advice from government agency Becta, and had carried out rigorous research. " If the Head has done rigorous research he will know that the systems are not 100% safe.

As far as BECTA carrying out rigorous research on biometric systems in schools - they simply haven't. Their advice given July 2007 was given with no research into these systems whatsoever, I know that as a fact as the Freedom of Information Act was used to see what research they had done - zilch.

So for all you Head Teachers out there thinking that BECTA know about these systems, think again.

Busy summer

2008-09-10T21:43:00.002Z

I've have a had a some weeks off blogging over summer - been 'bloggling' vacant, I've had time to address home garden and upstairs room decorating-ish!

Been quite interesting over summer ... a few schools bringing biometrics in without parents being fully aware.

I wonder how many of you parents, especially with children going to high school, have have notification or permissiom/consent slips for the giving over or your children's biometric data for basic administrative functions within school?

As children start school the biometric systems employed by schools are not always made aware to new parents and pupils? Why would they be - if it's not a requirement of law (?)

Registration? Library? School dinners? School trips? School Vending Machines?

I (we), as parents, have just had 'permsission' forms to send back to our children's school, signed, for food tasting, crossing the road, photographs taken, video taken, swimming lessons, basket/football/rugby/ball tournaments off and on site, oh and a "contract" re behaviour. (there was even a slip to send back stating that I had received the above forms stating the above and diary dates!)

No mention that our school has a biometric system for library use. A three year old system, and that a biometric fingerprint is used enable extraction and reading of a library book for those from 4 years old.

However my children tell me now that the biometric libary system in their primary school is no longer in use. They use barcodes now... pupils rarely even/not ever comment on the 'thumb print gadet that was'... - it's a "has been" event to them, not even that.

Getting a library book out is the main event for them - not how they get it out.

2008-07-16T12:38:00.003Z

Ousedale Secondary School, Newport Pagnell, is planning to use biometric fingerprints from it's pupils to access to canteen. The MKNews reports that the school "has received a string of angry, anonymous letters of complaint about the scheme"

One 15-year-old pupil who contacted the paper by email said: "The Government is so insistent on snooping on us all to a point where they are fingerprinting us to buy our lunches. They are treating us like criminals."

More schools - same misinformation

2008-07-14T11:32:00.013Z

Although I haven't posted here for quite a while I've been busy behind the scenes gathering some information using the Freedom of Information Act from various bodies with some interesting results on how the governments advice for schools using biometrics was constructed and we've also had some interest from the media on the subject of biometrics in schools. So although not "bloggingly vocal" - still at it!

So what has been happening?....

Seems that the media coverage over the past month or so has been constant with parents voicing their concerns across the country.

This video from the BBC site http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7502790.stm about Caldicott Comprehensive School, Newport, Wales, where parents are protesting about fingerprint systems. The school hasn't consulted with parents at all.

Chipping Campden comprehensive in Gloucestershire, where the actor Chris Jury's child attends, is rolling out biometrics for catering and registration, as the Telegraph and Cotswold Journal reports. The Coltswold Journal states that:

"He was responding to a letter she circulated to her pupils' parents announcing biometric machines would be installed at the school." and rightly so - is this the schools idea of consultation? Telling the parents is an arrogant way of assuming consent from parents (or children for that matter).

Abbey College, Ramsey in Cambridgeshire are introducing a fingerprint cashless catering. According to the Hunts Post:

"The school has assured parents that no one has access to the information and that the data can "never be viewed as anything other than a string of numbers and letters".

Obviously the company selling the biometric system to the school hasn't informed them about research done in the United States on how fingerprints can be recovered from such systems.

As the government nor academics in the UK have not had access to any systems that are sold to schools to test whether the schools statement is true, judgement can only be taken on the basis of work that has been done in the States on this.

Abbey College school also state that "no one has access to the information" - wrong. The police can have access if they believe that it will help solve a crime. This is what the Deputy Information Commissioner, David Smith, had to say on this in May 2007 with regard to school biometric systems (see Q50 and Q51):

"The police [can] make an access request. The school looks at: "Would we breach the Data Protection Act if we respond to the police?" If they can say that not giving the information would be likely to prejudice prevention or detection of crime and does not say a level of crime, or the apprehension or prosecution of an offender, then they can give that information without breaching the Act. A low level of crime would justify that"

So think again when a school states that no one can access information.

And £30,000 is being spent in Nequay's Tretherras School in Cornwall on biometric cashless catering, with a further £1500 spent each year on the license to have the technology.

Apart from the issues of consent, who can access to information and the possible re-engineering of fingerprints the additional issue of cost is huge.

When my children were nearly fingerprinted 3 years ago , at 6 & 7 years old, there were two companies selling biometric fingerprint systems - now there are nearly 20 companies in the market place here in the UK - a market that is ultimately driven by our tax payers money. We are funding this biometric market.

Children's biometric data at risk

2008-06-07T12:14:00.004Z

Just caught the below on the Thumbs down blog run by a parent, about the complete lack of security surrounding a computer with children's biometric data on - how appalling!

"A very short comment on the school’s security:

At pick up today we walked through the nursery playground. I usually go the other way, but we both went today.

The library is inside a cottage between the Nursery and the Infant School. As I walked past the cottage door, I noticed it was wide open.

Around the corner I glanced in through the library window and saw that the room was empty. 5 minutes or so later, after a significant number of parents had walked past it, the cottage door was still open.

I poked my head inside and called “Hello! Anybody there?” Quite loudly. Reply came there none, so I walked in the three steps to the library door, tried the handle and opened it. There by the door was the computer, with the thumbscanner, just to confirm it is the one with the biometric data inside.

This is the computer about which the Governors said “reasonable security measures are taken”."

School upsets parents by fingerprinting their kids

2008-06-06T10:50:00.005Z

More than 700 students were fingerprinted last week by the Clinton County School District and some parents aren't happy. Parents learned about the fingerprinting only after it happened.

Unbelievable! Seems that the school authorities in the UK and USA are simply not grasping that before they go finger scanning, storing and recording our kids biometric data they must communicate with us on this or risk alienating the parent population . Some parents, in the UK, were so angered by this they went to the police.

More UK schools using childrens fingerprints

2008-06-06T10:03:00.008Z

Biometric technology using children's fingerprints is well underway across the UK. When systems using biometric fingerprints can cost up to £27,000 this is certainly a big business concern (funded by our taxes!).

The Bexhill-on-sea Observer reports that William Parker Sports College in Hasting has gone fully cashless:

Biometric fingerprints will be used by both pupils and staff to pay for everything from school dinners to theatre trips.

"We will be the first school in the town to be a cashless college," said John Court. "All our catering and anything that parents have to pay for will be paid for from online student accounts."

and in the Journel Live in Tyneside...

A North Tyneside school is spending £15,000 on the latest fingerprinting technology to curb bullying at lunchtime. Every child attending Churchill Community College in Howdon, has had their thumb prints scanned ahead of the launch of the new cashless payment system after the half-term break.

The biometric system is designed to reduce bullying in schools and any potential stigma suffered by those receiving free school meals.

Was bullying so bad at Churchill Community College that they felt the need to throw £15,000 at it? Over in Lancashire it's reported that in Bowland High School:

School dinners have been given a hi-tech overhaul. Headteacher Mr Stephen Cox said:

"Although biometric identification has been used in schools for library use for a number of years, we are one of the first schools in Lancashire to embrace the technology for use in paying for school meals, while it is early days the pupils have embraced the technology and we are hoping it will enhance their lunchtime experience by speeding up service."

Misinformation and no consent - still!

2008-05-13T09:11:00.008Z

Again and again the same old cr*p is spouted by schools to parents about it's not a fingerprint that's taken so don't worry.

Obviously they have not done their research and believe whatever spiel the biometric sales persons are giving them. Here's what Education Bradford say about Junior Librarian, which according to them, is recommended by the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

"Publicity material from the manufacturers states: "No image of the fingerprint itself is ever stored and the unique number that is generated during registration can never be used to recreate an image of the original scan.""

These biometric readers have not been scrutinized by the government, as Jim Knight MP admits himself, or any independent experts here in the UK [unless any of the biometric vendors can inform otherwise or offer a system for scrutiny] - however the above statement, by Junior Librarian, can be challenged as US universities have reverse engineered fingerprints from such systems.

Along the line somewhere the complete truth isn't being aired.

On top of the misinformation given to parents, and despite advice from the government and the Information Commissioner on the practice of using biometric technology with children, schools are still taking biometric fingerprints from children without informing parents.

Parents, in Keithley, when the school had taken childrens biometric fingerprints without consent were concerned enough to contact the police and Ofsted.

Little Lever School, Bolton and Long Lee School, Keithley are the recent culprits have committed the two offences of giving misleading information and not consulting parents.

So the recent government advice is working well then...

Wanted - Smith and Browns Fingerprints

2008-04-29T11:31:00.007Z

Just caught this on the Privacy International site - fingerprints of Smith and Brown "wanted".

It reads:

GUILTY of reckless endangerment of our personal security by storing our fingerprints on a central ID database and risking another catastrophic data breach.

GUILTY of willful intent to undermine our right to own and control our biometrics.

etc, etc...

The fingerprints of Wolfgang Schauble, Germany's interior minister, who believes strongly in the collection of "citizens' unique physical characteristics as a means of preventing terrorism" has already been got. Look out Smith and Brown.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander surely...

Another concerned parent blogging about fingerprinting children

2008-04-26T14:47:00.006Z

Another parent has set up a blog after their high school in Derry, Northern Ireland, fingerprinted pupils WITHOUT parental consent - worth a read - http://stopfingerprintingschoolchildren.blogspot.com/

"Oakgrove College Derry, a secondary school in the north of Ireland has fingerprinted most of its pupils to "help speed up school meals". Parental consent was not sought before this mass fingerprint piracy was launched. This sneak attack on civil liberties should be opposed by every parent who cares for the personal data of their children"

With no surprise at all the DCSF's (DfES) guidance is being totally ignored by schools (if they even know it exists). The Information Commissioner's Office states that schools doing this, not involving parents, is "heavy-handed".

Heavy-handed it may be but schools do it. Until the law is changed this children's biometric market grows - with every penny of it being generated by the taxes we pay.

There is a growing band of annoyed, concerned parents voicing their anger and worries on this.

The NO2ID message board on biometrics in schools is getting busier with more parents outraged that their children have been fingerprinted and posts on there from concerned students too with lots of good advice there too.

Good for the parent who's started that blog - more people should know about this.

Australian school stops fingerprinting students after allegations of intimidation

2008-04-12T12:45:00.006Z

Having been away for a while seems that things have been a little busy.

In Australia it seems that some heavy handedness was used to fingerprint students for monitoring attendance levels at Ku-ring-gai High School .

A quote from one Year 12 student shows that the school maybe should be spending money on educating the children in their care as it is quite clear that this student really has not grasped how government institutions should operate, "Perhaps a lesson from this is that parents and students should involve themselves in the school community and in the decisions being made on their behalf." what?!- no, the school should be asking express permission from parents and debating whether or not this level of technology is needed and how better money can be spent.

But then when it is alleged that school staff intimidated and insulted students who were unwilling to take part in the trial, then truancy sounds like the least of the problems at Ku-ring-gai High School.

Good for student Brad Lorge who refused to be fingerprinted! "When I began to question, I was informed that I would be stupid to not comply and that there was no reason for me to not provide my fingerprint," he said. "It was intimidating. I was the only one out of the four who refused to provide my fingerprint."

..and this from an ex-student there.

Needless to say that the biometric fingerprinting system is currently on hold at the school.

Fingerprinting children for food reduces schools "annoyances"

2008-03-18T23:00:00.005Z

On the fingerprinting of children for food in schools, doubts arise:

“The benefits certainly do not justify the privacy violations that we’re seeing,” said Alessandra Meetze, executive director of the Arizona chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

But Beverly Blough, the director of food service in Wood County School District, West Virginia, cited that the pressures of No Child Left Behind was the reason why West Virginia schools used biometric systems -apparently it would...

“ ...reduce the annoyances that would take the principal and staff away from education and focusing on things that were relatively minor in a student’s day.”

A mother, Joy Robinson-Van Gilder, from Illinois who has been instrumental in bringing about a change in the the law in Illinois to limit/regulate how biometric technology is used with children, said:

“It just opens a huge database out there that’s just easy for identity theft, I think it’s against their civil rights, without a doubt, and it is an invasion of privacy.”

Biometrics - what data is logged alongside our childrens biometrics?

2008-03-15T22:24:00.010Z

There is a really informative article here by Rachel Wareing about schools in Sussex, UK, implementing children's biometrics for these reasons:

Parents can see what their children are eating for lunch.

Teachers do not have to waste time taking a register. [!]

School librarians no longer have to issue books.

...others to see what reading habits our children have, by gender, age and ethnicity - sensitive information needs to be dealt with under the UK Data Protection Act.

£25,000 biometric cashless system bought - based on "commonly perceived benefits"

2008-03-13T18:18:00.008Z

At the end of January Sophie McKeand's child's school told parents they were "introducing a "cashless catering system", where children will pay for their school dinners using either a fingerprint identification system or a pin number". This is in Flintshire, Wales.

Sophie rightly objected "to have such important and sensitive biometric data being taken from children for a matter as trivial as buying lunch is absolutely absurd."

Since then Sophie has been busy finding out, via the Freedom of Information Act, just how much these systems cost (using our tax money), where the funding is coming from, who made the decision to implement such systems, etc. - interesting reading indeed.

Her Freedom of Information questions and answers, for Flintshire County Council, are on the "Biometrics in Schools" forum over on the NO2ID site.

Here are a few questions and answers:

3. What is the FULL, TOTAL AND FINAL cost of this system in Alun School?

A3.The full cost of the system in the Alun School is as follows:

PCS Systems £20,905.00
Software £ 1,062.32
Installation £ 1,162.50
Server £ 283.14
Printer etc. £ 574.00
Writing/Electrics £ 1,162.50

TOTAL £25,149.46 [this is cost for one school]

1. I wish to be provided with ALL cost / benefit analysis that have been completed concerning anything whatsoever to do with implementing these cashless systems in Flintshire schools. Not just for Mold Alun but for all schools in Flintshire as stated in the quote from the first letter from Alun School, above. This includes all equipment, maintenance and IT services.

A1. The Council holds no information regarding a cost/benefit analysis. [What?]
The commonly perceived benefits however, are that..... then follows some drivel about reducing bullying and enabling children to eat before afternoon registration, up take of free meals increased, blah, blah.

So, lets get this right...

...the council spends 25K of our money on a biometric/pin cashless catering system purely based on "commonly perceived benefits" - with no cost/benefit analysis to justify such expenditure?

IMHO this sounds like jawdropping negligence.

Flintshire County Council sound like they've been sold a line. "Commonly perceived benefits" that are backed up with absolutely no academic or government literature, but I guess probably literature from sales persons.

It would seem that the implementation of the systems (that were originally proposed to be run throughout all Flintshire Schools, which would be around £250,000 of taxpayers money) has not been a completely open and transparent process, as reported today:

"Cllr Ray Dodd said he shared some of Miss McKeand's concerns. "I am surprised that this biometric system has been introduced in a school already without any consultation with elected councillors.

The education department said there has been extensive consultation, I have not been able to establish any consultation with county councillors,"

Iowa rejects the re-introduction of fingerprint scanners in schools

2008-03-09T15:44:00.002Z

Des Moines Register, Iowa, USA, reports the bills that are up for debate, and therefore possible legislation, and those that are not to be debated and made into law.

"...state lawmakers pushed dozens of bills through committee, saving them from today's so-called "funnel" deadline. The week is a pivotal time for legislation. Bills that made the deadline will be debated. Those that failed the funnel are done."

Biometric fingerprint scanners in schools didn't make it through the 'funnel'.

LIKELY DEAD

FINGERPRINT SCANNERS: Some schools want to be able to use fingerprint scanners to speed children through lunch lines, the library checkout and bus boarding. State lawmakers outlawed the devices for school use in 2005 amid concerns about legal issues, privacy and information hacking. And this idea was stripped from Senate Study Bill 3010 this year.

Parents to be consulted about biometric systems in Sussex school

2008-03-05T22:48:00.008Z

Warden Park School in Cuckfield, Sussex, could be using childrens fingerprints for paying for school lunches:

"The biometric technology could be introduced at the school as early as June if parents support the proposals.

Using pupils' fingerprints in schools has been criticised by many MPs, including Sussex Conservatives Nick Gibb and Tim Loughton, who fear sensitive information about children could fall into the wrong hands.

Mr Loughton, MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, has said it is another step towards a surveillance society."

At least the school is going to consult with parents but according to headteacher Steve Johnson hundreds of schools in the region now used the technology.

If Warden Park School make their decision in favour of the technology a Freedom of Information Act Request could be in order to determine:

Our public money cost. Cost/benefit analysis. (One such system sold to a school in Leeds, according to the Headteacher on BBC Radio 4 "You and Yours" programme, cost £14,000 - after a Freedom of Information request this turned out to be over £27,000 - only a slight misrepresentation of 13K of our money!)

Where/which budget the money to purchase system is coming from.

The extent of parental consultation.

How this technology can "reduce bullying" i.e. related bullying figures re: catering before installation.

How many instances of "children stealing other pupils' dinner money" happened before biometric catering system installed.

A spokesperson from the company hoping to sell the system to the school stated that the "guidelines from the Department for Children, Schools and Families made it clear data could not be passed to any third party organisations" - erm... not quite true, see Q50 & 51 in parliament.

American Civil Liberties Union voice concerns using childrens fingerprints for food purchase

2008-02-28T13:22:00.004Z

Chuck Samuelson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, Minnesota on the possible introduction of fingerprint scanners for lunch lines at Oltman Junior High in St. Paul Park and East Ridge High School.:

"This is a solution in search of a problem. It just baffles me. Of all the problems schools face, is this really an issue?"

Officials think it will speed up lunch lines, solve the problem of children forgetting their ID numbers and prevent identity theft (?!)

But the comments from the biometric vendor in this article are quite bizarre and would be funny if they weren't so seriously off the mark :

"There always seems to be this knee-jerk reaction that somehow, some way, a person is giving up their identity." - putting a child's biometric details on a relatively unsecure system, biometric details that have to be secure for the lifetime of the child, decades in fact, for insignificant tasks such as paying for food I would argue IS most definitely "giving up their identity" to significant risk.

When you bear in mind the obvious fact that computers are advancing at a great rate along with transferable softwear from biometric database to biometric database (and with that hackers abilities) that using childrens biometric for mundane administrative tasks is wholly inappropriate.

This biometric vendor goes on to say:

"It's absolutely the opposite. It actually protects a person's identity." - right...

Utah to fingerprint pupils for lunches?

2008-02-28T13:05:00.003Z

In Utah, parents are to discuss this month whether the use of fingerprint technology, for lunch payments and monitoring childrens eating habits, in Draper public schools is appropriate.

Let's hope they make a sensible informed decision - listen to the schools reasoning but also take on board other expert opinion, such as Microsoft's Architect of Identity, Kim Cameron.

Arizona Senate bill bans biometrics in schools

2008-02-18T10:48:00.006Z

Arizona, USA, have a bill SB1216 banning biometrics in schools, details below and here is the 'fact sheet' of the bill.

It heartening that people are taking on board the issues that arise with the, increasingly obvious, inappropriate use of biometric technology with children in schools.

When it was reported that Espiritu community schools in Phoenix, USA, fingerprinted children, without informing parents, in mid January 2008 it taken a little over a month for this bill to happen.

I hope this speedy action shames our Labour UK Members of Parliament to act as the elected people of Arizona have, i.e. working the people that elected them - although I'm not holding my breath.

Well done to mum, Shirley Wallace, Arizona State Sen. Karen Johnson and State Rep. Andy Biggs, the others that supported this bill and Fred Bellemy, a Phoenix attorney who specializes in Technology Law for their efforts to bring this bill about in such a short amount of time.

REFERENCE TITLE: schools; biometric information; prohibition

State of Arizona Senate, Forty-eighth Legislature, Second Regular Session 2008

SB 1216

Introduced by
Senators Johnson, Blendu: Gray C, Harper; Representative Pearce

AN ACT

amending Title 15, chapter 1, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 15-107; relating to school pupils.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 15, chapter 1, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-107, to read:

START_STATUTE 15-107. Biometric information; prohibition; definition

A. School districts and charter schools shall not collect biometric information from pupils.

B. For the purposes of this section, "biometric information" means any information that is collected through an identification process for individual persons based on unique behavioral or physiological characteristics, including fingerprints, hand geometry, voice recognition, facial recognition, iris scans or retinal scans. END_STATUTE

Jim Knight - what does he actually do??

2008-02-14T15:38:00.005Z

With amazing consistency Jim Knight ducks and dives out of all responsibilty for his department to take stock of the fingerprinting of children in UK schools.

I'm wondering what he actually does in his role as Minister of State for Schools and Learners,(DfCSF) ?

Annette Brooke [LibDem]: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will commission a review of the academic literature on the reversibility of biometric templates to recreate fingerprints.

Jim Knight: The Department has no plans to commission a review of the academic literature on the reversibility of biometric templates to recreate fingerprints. Becta is responsible for monitoring this and other aspects of technology in schools and will take appropriate action as it considers necessary. Becta published guidance on the use of biometric technology in July 2007.

Annette Brooke [LibDem]: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will commission an independent assessment of the security of biometric systems used in schools (a) in libraries, (b) in canteens and (c) for registration.

Jim Knight: The Department has no plans to commission an assessment of the security systems used in schools (a) in libraries, (b) in canteens and (c) for registration. Becta is responsible for monitoring this and other aspects of technology in schools and will take appropriate action as it considers necessary. Becta published guidance on the use of biometric technology in July 2007.

Bob Spink [Cons]: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in Essex fingerprint pupils; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department is not aware of any schools in Essex which fingerprint pupils. Some schools may use biometric technology systems involving the recording of some fingerprint characteristics. The Department does not routinely keep records of such schools since the decision to introduce biometric technology is for each school to make.

Oh the possibilities...

2008-02-11T12:30:00.000Z

Dan Brawner seems to have his finger(print) on the pulse here -

LIVING IN IOWA: Forget your signature: soon the biometric thumbprint will be the new national ID

by Dan Brawner · February 06, 2008

I’m sure the Iowa Department of Education only wanted what’s best for us when they proposed the “thumbprint bill” that would have students use a biometric thumbprint scan in paying for school lunches and checking out library books. They assure us the thumbprints will not be stored or shared with government agencies or businesses. They argue convincingly that students will have to spend less time standing in lines and the new technology will keep them safer by tracking their whereabouts.

I can understand why a sophomore in his desperation to check out a copy of War And Peace does not have time to laboriously sign his name for the librarian. But after all, attendance in an institution of higher education does presuppose a certain degree of literacy. If they make it too easy to sign a document, you discover later you’ve sold Manhattan for a handful of beads.

If the thumbprint thing catches on in schools, pretty soon Mastercard will say, why carry around those silly plastic cards that could fall into the wrong hands when all you need to do at the checkout counter is plant your thumb on the scanner? Now you can buy stuff faster than ever!

Before long, the Department of Motor Vehicles will want to get into the act. Then doctors and hospitals will have patients zipping through check-in, dispensing with all that tiresome paperwork. All you will ever need is your thumb. You won’t even have to be conscious. Heck, you won’t even have to be there. Just your thumb. Parents could have detachable thumbs. “Hey, Dad, I’m driving into Chicago today. Can I borrow the thumb?” “Okay, son. Just have it back by midnight.”

Our entire identity will be defined by our thumbs. Our thumbs will represent our legal status, our financial stature, our health, our political leanings, our religious affiliations, our intrinsic worth as neighbors and citizens. Our very soul.

We will no longer be able take our thumbs for granted. We’ll have to take special care of them. If you get a scar on your thumb from peeling potatoes, it might alter your identity. “I’m sorry, Ma’am. We cannot allow you to pick up the boy you say is your son from baseball practice. According to your thumbprint, it says you are a 78-year-old Tibetan man who had his license revoked for running over a goat.”

With all our personal information stored with our thumbprint, identity theft can be surprisingly easy. Investigators found that thumbprints leave a mark on the scanner and can be made to reappear by merely breathing on the glass. We can no longer afford to expose our naked thumbs to strangers who might photograph them or lift our prints from doorknobs. We’ll have to wear special thumb lingerie to hide our most intimate secrets from prying eyes.

Sure, it will take some adjustment. But sailing through the checkout line at Wal-Mart will make it all worthwhile.

Stop Fingerprinting children in schools? at Prime Minister's Questions but no Prime Ministers Answers, unsurprisingly...

2008-02-07T13:02:00.000Z

Prime Minister's Questions - Wednesday 6th Feb 2007

The 100% complete dodging round the issue of fingerprint systems in school by the PM yesterday is self explanitory below.

Mr. Nick Clegg (Sheffield, Hallam) (LD): This week’s bugging controversy should not come as a surprise to the Prime Minister. After all, it is this Government who have turned the British public into the most spied upon on the planet: 1,000 surveillance requests every day; 1 million innocent people on the Government’s DNA database; and 5,000 schools now fingerprinting our children at school. Is that what the Prime Minister meant when he spoke so stirringly a few months ago about the great British tradition of liberty?

The Prime Minister: I take it that the right hon. Gentleman and the Liberal authorities support CCTV. I take it that they support the intercept action that is taken when it is necessary for national security. I take it that he accepts that only 1,500 intercepts have been commissioned by Ministers as a result of urgent security needs. Does he accept these things or not?

Mr. Clegg: The Prime Minister seems to see no limits. He is creating a surveillance state. Why has he consistently refused requests for more power to be given to the Information Commissioner? Why does he not do what is already done in Scotland and remove the DNA of innocent people from the database? Why will he not act immediately to stop the scandalous fingerprinting of our children at school?

The Prime Minister: People in this country are reassured by the presence of CCTV; I hope that the right hon. Gentleman is not proposing to remove it. That is one very important part of the investigatory and surveillance powers that we give the police to carry out their work. I would hope that the right hon. Gentleman would look at the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and see the protections that have been put in place where there is surveillance and where there are intercepts. They include authorisation by a senior officer, the right to appeal to an independent tribunal, and a commissioner for surveillance who looks at matters and reports annually. We are taking the steps to protect the liberties of the citizens; I hope that the right hon. Gentleman will support that.

Biometrics in schools - "hard to sell to parents"

2008-02-04T14:06:00.000Z

A slight thought process going on at the Broome-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services on biometrics, even if it is just about the fact that "it's hard to sell to parents".

Broome-Tioga BOCES serves 15 school districts in Broome and Tioga counties, which deals with nearly 40,000 students in grades k-12 and many others in adult programs.

Kathy Alley from Broome-Tioga say that she "envisions a school district where fingerprint scanners are in cafeterias, building entrances, classrooms and buses".

Why? Apparently she cites that "missing children" will be easier to track... (how many of the 40,000 children do the 15 school districts lose?) Where is the personal eye to eye contact in registration with teacher and pupil if children are simply logged in by fingerscan?

The reason it is hard to sell to parents is because we, as adults, can make informed decisions about biometric technology and when and where we use it. Infact recently, at Heathrow Airport, when biometric technology is imposed on adults, rountinely, there is an outcry.

Children in school are in a compliant situation - a soft market for biometric companies when authorities require more and more detailed information from schools about our children.

Schools having our children's biometric identifiers, as well, is a step too far.

In and out

2008-01-28T12:59:00.000Z

As Iowa plan to allow biometrics back into schools after their House File 685, the child identification and protection act, was signed into law in May 2005, biometric scanners are being axed in schools in Phoenix, Arizona.

An ill informed Jeff Berger of the state Dept of Education, Iowa, states "This technology is really perfectly safe... information can't be reconverted back into an actual fingerprint", this statement is incorrect but this continual and convenient inaccuracy of truth is obviously backed up by the biometric sales industry:

"That's true", said Ali Pabrai, the chief executive officer of Ecfirst.com, a West Des Moines-based biometrics consulting company."

Their views are not shared by Fred Bellamy, a Phoenix Attorney who specializes in Technology Law or Microsoft's Identity Architect Kim Cameron - (I know who'd I'd rather believe).

Fred Bellamy went on to say that "fingerprinting children is an invasion of privacy. “Once the data are captured no matter what kind of promises the vendor may make there is a serious risk, and I think the parents have every reason to be concerned about how this data will ultimately be used.”

Espiritu Community Schools in Phoenix used biometrics technology to scan the fingerprints of students. School officials told us it was a way to keep track of school lunches so they can receive federal aid.

But this past week, in a letter sent to all parents, the district states it's stopping the use of this technology. The letter states they will “yield the use of the biometrics finger scan system”. They are replacing it with student ID cards.

"It's just like the cop shows ..." say kids - Utah, USA

2008-01-23T00:17:00.000Z

Utah, USA, are using children's biometric fingerprint data for food ...“It's a minor intrusion for better parental supervision of your children’s eating habits,” said systems administrator Eric Browning.

Juan Diego Catholic High School is the first school in Utah state to have finger scanning systems, which monitor and track students' lunch accounts. (But from the school's website on Menu A they are eating: 'Taco Bar, Subs, Chicken Enchilladas' & on Menu B 'Pizza, Subs' ....!)

But a little more credit to them, than British schools, in the fact they do let parents know on their website that they have a biometric food system.

This by Gizmodo: "Here is the thing though—the parents probably have the same horrible eating habits, so it would be hard to dole out the discipline without looking like a hypocrite. Besides, if the school is so concerned about the kids' nutritional welfare, why do they continue to serve them crap food?"

Why, really? Because it's cheap...

See this for more.

Personal

2008-01-20T22:03:00.000Z

With the appalling data losses that are now happening in our UK Government with the Inland Revenue and Customs, Child Benefits and now the UK Army , to mention a few - we parents need to make ourselves aware of data attached to our children, that may go astray.

So I'm going to make a subject access request to the head teacher at my children's school so I can see what data is logged against my children on their, each, unique National Pupil Database number - perhaps (and hopefully not probably - but not holding breath) information that may get into other peoples hands...

"Generation ID: lessons in kiddyprinting"

2008-01-14T12:46:00.000Z

Redpepper have this excellent article on "kiddyprinting" in schools.

"The innocuous term ‘kiddyprinting’ refers to the controversial practice of routinely fingerprinting schoolchildren. Many parents are unaware of it because they have not been asked for their explicit consent, or in many cases even notified that it is taking place."

Suffolk schools fingerprinting for food

2008-01-14T12:22:00.000Z

Stowmarket High school has started using children's fingerprints for meals, not mentioned on their website, along with Kirkley High, again not mentioned on their website either.

This from the Stowmarket Headteacher Keith Penn: “I have no concerns about any infringement of civil liberties in this instance and am not concerned about this issue." - what at all?

He should be concerned as Action on Rights for Children, Liberty, Privacy International, NO2ID, parent run site Leave Them Kids Alone and a host international experts have concerns - and in the USA Electronic Frontiers Foundation and American Civil Liberties Union have concerns as well.

Well he is only a headteacher and obviously has no experience of children's rights (although maybe he should have, being in charge of a fair few hundred of them).

Maybe these heads of schools should do some research into this issue of using children's biometric data for routine activities that, supposedly helps the schools administrative function.

See Mark Crossley's blog, editor of the Suffolk Free Press on this.

Arizona to propose leglislation for schools fingerprinting children

2008-01-14T12:05:00.000Z

After Espiritu community schools in Phoenix, USA, fingerprinted children without even notifying parents to allegedly shorten lunch queues parents were rightly outraged.

Parent Shirley Wallace was outraged when she found out what happened to her kids at school. "Since when does anyone have the right to fingerprint our children, especially without parents' permission?"

Fred Bellamy is a Phoenix attorney who specializes in Technology Law. He says fingerprinting children without parental consent is sending the wrong message.

"Once the data are captured," Bellamy says, "No matter what kind of promises the vendor may make, there is a serious risk. And I think the parents have every reason to be concerned about how this data will ultimately be used."

The schools, yet again, quote the old 'it's not a fingerprint but a string of numbers...' blerb.

Fingerprints can be reconstructed from number strings, see here, however as state fingerprint databases are increasingly algorithmic it does matter or not if a fingerprint is stored as the numbers stored operate in the same way a fingerprint does. It is a biometric marker of the child using the scanner.

As a consequence "Arizona State Sen. Karen Johnson and State Rep. Andy Biggs plan to propose legislation this session. The bill would require schools to get parent’s' permission before fingerprinting any child."

Good for them.

"Thumbs down" - another parent's blog

2008-01-02T15:04:00.000Z

Another parent has set a blog up called "Thumbs down"

"At the end of 2007 I received a letter from my daughter’s school informing me that the school library was to be run on a biometric system.

I was appalled. This blog charts my attempt to have them reverse the policy.

I hope it is short."

So do I. My children's school seem now to be using a barcode system now instead of the biometric scanner they purchased in 2005 for library use, so good luck!

School trips...?

2007-12-20T13:04:00.000Z

Apparently "Fingerprinting helps pupils to be healthy eaters" states the "This is Cheshire" website. The school is so chuffed with the technology that they are "now looking at ways of using the fingertip system for other purposes for example school trips."

Education helps children to be healthy eaters. Taking fizzy drinks and chips off the menu helps children to be healthy eaters. These systems can cost up to £20,000+. Could this amount of money be used in school to improve education of healthy eating habits?

There is no mention of fingerprint, biometric, scanner or even cashless on Sandbach school's website. Taking childrens biometric data from them, I would have thought, warrents a mention at least.

But the idea of incorporating fingerprint scanners into a school trip(!) seems to be a biometric overkill of technology for technologies sake.

Given the appalling track record government establishments have on data protection, just salient data should be held by schools - not children's biometric data, which is non essential for a child's education.

Biometric industry see BECTA's guidance as a "green light"

2007-12-10T23:47:00.000Z

Apparently industry welcomes "the findings of BECTA’s new report entitled Guidance on Biometrics in Schools , which highlighted the positive role biometric technology can play in reducing bullying, theft, truancy and costs in schools."

Really? Reducing bullying, theft and costs? There is no evidence to support this in the public domain.

One biometric vendor states “BECTA’s report effectively provides the green light to continue the roll out of Biometric solutions in schools. The report makes a clear statement that fingerprints cannot be recreated from the string of numbers stored in the database..."

So whilst parents, human rights groups and concerned Members of Parliament are not happy about the BECTA guidance the industry have taken it as a "green light". The parent consultation touched on in the document is simply NOT happening and the notion that BECTA, the DCSF (DfES) and Labour Education Dept hold on to that fingerprints cannot be reconstructed is simply incorrect.

What are we actually paying these people for?

A simple Google of "reconstructing fingerprints" bring up papers that have been written on this or blogs (moi, listed no.3!) that can point civil servants and politicians in the general direction on this subject. It's not rocket science.

It is apparent that there is a concerning lack of research in BECTA's "guidance" which appears to have unsubstantiated claims and inaccurate statements in. Is it right for this to be the basis of an industry that is able to legally take biometric data from children as young a 4 without consulting parents?

The people that this report should have advantaged - our children in schools.

The people this reports advantages - biometric companies supplying to schools.

UK world famous for sneakily fingerprinting chlidren in schools

2007-12-06T13:53:00.000Z

It's nice to know that here in the UK we are world famous for something - schools fingerprinting children without parents knowledge.

The US and now Australia are hot on our heels though, but with only 2 companies here in the UK in 2005, to over 20 companies now selling biometric systems to schools (bought by our taxes) for food, books, registration, access, cash registers, vending machines - that's some growth in the market.

This is not about the security of pupils dinner money and stolen library books. It is simply about hard cash and profit for the biometric market by fingerprinting children in school as young as 4 without parents even being aware. Adults in the UK do not use biometric systems on the scale that it is used in schools.

The Dubai XPress has this article.

"The so-called "child-tracking" scheme has been lamented by parents who argue that school authorities should take prior permission and an "acceptance note" to fingerprint their child because the data collected from children under the age of 12 without parental consent contravenes the Data Protection Act 1998.

The Labour Government, who wants to go ahead with a national ID plan also faces a backlash from nearly 85 members of parliament who differ on this monitoring practice. Though the government rests its case on defending the method with the sole purpose of social security and thwarting child abuse, civil liberties groups call it an act of violation of privacy."

Canadian students object to biometic access - for gym access

2007-11-29T22:36:00.000Z

The University of Northern British Columbia has installed biometric scanners "controlling access to the sports centre" [why?] 300 students have signed an online petition opposing it.

"Graduate student Gabrielle Wint-Rose wasn't sure why her gym needs such personal data, and said the invasiveness of the system should have been considered and students consulted before installing the system.

"It was a really shocking experience. It really wakes you up. You realize you walk into this facility and the only way to access is through finger scanning and all of sudden you're in this moment where you have no choice. What do you do?" said Wint-Rose on Wednesday.

Lindsay Stinson told CBC News she was upset she had to register her fingerprint and give personal information before she could work out at her university's new gym."

Proportionality in this must be considered. Who would want to monitor or possibly profile students exercise information? Does the university own the gym or do they lease it out to a private company? Where does the students data go?

Want to exercise = give personal biometric data? (would suggest boycotting gym and jogging instead, cheaper and non intrusive)

Students in Canada have (absolutely) more awareness than UK primary school pupils, 4 years old, that are now using fingerprint biometric systems here, and in the USA, without parental consent/knowledge.

With the Canadian students being older and having awareness of their personal data, they consequently raise valid privacy issues:

"Wint-Rose said she is concerned about what happens to the biometric information and who controls it.

"The northern sports centre has my information. I have no way of getting that back. I don't know how it's being collected, where it's being stored, who has access to this information," said Wint-Rose."

The following is a published paper by the Candian Information and Privacy Commissioner in March 2007:

Biometric Encryption: A Positive-Sum Technology that Achieves Strong Authentication, Security AND Privacy

by
Ann Cavoukian, Ph.D. Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario &
Alex Stoianov, Ph.D. Biometrics Scientist

"Finger food - German style"

2007-11-25T20:04:00.000Z

This from a BBC article on Germans using biometric scanners for shopping, the closing paragraph reads:

"And it's not just supermarkets. At some German schools, students are now using biometrics to buy their school dinners. Finger food - German style."

Data Protection, Human Rights and security

2007-11-25T19:59:00.000Z

From Silicon.com

If an individual's biometric information is compromised or stolen, that individual could no longer use those biometrics to prove his or her identity. Therefore, unless stringent security measures are put in place, the digital storage of biometric data could present a real security risk for facilitating identity theft.

The use of biometric systems must comply with the European Convention on Human Rights and the Data Protection Directive. The relevant legislation in the UK is the Human Rights Act and the Data Protection Act (DPA). Under the Human Rights Act each of us is entitled to respect in our private life, including our life at the workplace.

Under the DPA personal data is required to be processed fairly and for specific limited purposes. Two key principles come into play. First, the principle of proportionality, which means the interference with the private life of the individual must be justifiable by the benefits. Second, the principle of transparency - which means it must be clear how and why information is being used and it must not be used beyond this without prior agreement.

It is possible to deploy biometrics in ways that do not breach the DPA by - for example, justifying the processing on one of the grounds set out in the DPA. Organisations setting up biometric systems will need to be clear about the purpose of the system or scheme and consider carefully how data is collected, stored and accessed. Use of the biometric information will need to be proportionate to the benefits of the scheme

Biometrics enable Australian schools to monitor students "more closely"

2007-11-25T19:37:00.000Z

In Australia, New South Wales, the children's biometric market is taking off. The all in one scheme monitors eating habits, movements around school and children's reading habits.

Rooty Hill High School has ordered 14 scanners, which are expected to be used to scan students as they enter the canteen, library and some classrooms.

The school's principal Christine Cawsey said it would allow the school to monitor the students more closely. [why?]

But president of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties Cameron Murphy said the scanning system was "intrusive" and suggested those using the system were branding students as lawbreakers.

"It's a clear breach of their privacy and it's treating school kids like they're criminals," Mr Murphy told The Daily Telegraph last night. "It's absolutely absurd.

"If the fingerprinting doesn't work, what's next? Putting ankle bracelets on students?"

Academy Attendance manufactures the electronic attendance systems, which are expected to be rolled out to at least half a dozen other schools next year.

The Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations said they were not consulted about the new technology.

"This is a step too far ... we would have liked to have expressed an opinion to ensure that all the checks and balances were there," federation president Di Giblin said.

Illinios schools legally need parental consent

2007-11-25T19:26:00.000Z

No mention of parental consent in this article at Glenwood Middle School, Chatham, however the law in Illinois, as of August 2007, requires it.

"Scanners tested" at US high school

2007-11-25T19:15:00.000Z

At Hagerty High School in Oviedo it's an "opt out" system as the Orlando Sentinal reports.

"...students will be required to take part unless their parents object.

Officials attempted to start the finger-scanning program at Hagerty earlier this month, but Superintendent Bill Vogel stopped it abruptly after several parents complained that they knew nothing about it and hadn't been given a chance to say no.

Some parents said their children had been threatened with punishment for refusing to have their fingers scanned initially to make a master image they would be scanned against every day. About a dozen parents already have refused to allow their children take part."

Bullying tactics have been used here in the UK as well.

2007-11-24T23:43:00.000Z

Got sent this - Bad Science link.

Identity

2007-11-20T16:13:00.000Z

Without much understanding of what ARCH (Action on Rights for Children) achieves it could be said that we were being branded as a little alarmist in this article, but perhaps justified given that the UK government has just "lost" 25 million children's/families data that it holds.

Reconstructing fingerprint images from templates

2007-11-19T13:09:00.000Z

This is for everyone who thinks fingerprints cannot be reverse engineered from biometric systems, and especially for Jim Knight MP, the Labour Minister for Schools and Learners, who offered up the below incorrect information in a parliamentary debate in July this year with Greg Mulholland MP:

"Secondly, as I stated earlier, it is not possible to recreate a fingerprint using the numbers that are stored. The algorithm generates a unique number, producing no information of any use to identity thieves. I shall quote from a statement from the Information Commissioner’s Office—a thoroughly independent source—that says in the third paragraph:

“Full fingerprint images are not stored and cannot be generated (‘reverse engineered’) from the template.”

I hope that that is clear to all those listening, because it is an important reassurance on the points that the hon. Gentleman has made." ...absolutely crystal Jim.

1. Original fingerprint scan

2. Stored fingerprint template

3. Print reconstructed from template

From:
From Template to Image: Reconstructing
Fingerprints from Minutiae Points

Arun Ross, Member, IEEE, Jidnya Shah, and Anil K. Jain, Fellow, IEEE

April 2007

(as shown on the Leave Them Kids Alone site)

Australia start 'fingerprinting' students

2007-11-12T13:20:00.000Z

As controversial biometric systems are being used in the UK and fingerprint scanners being put on hold in Orlando, scrapped in Massachusetts, Australia decides to implement fingerprint readers in their schools for registration, movement around school, canteen and library - all in one go.

However the Biometrics Institute in Australia have a voluntary Privacy Code, approved by the Australian Privacy Commissioner Karen Curtis, which applies to organisations that have agreed to be covered by the Code. The code came into effect September 2006. I wonder if schools and the vendors of such systems designed to be used in schools have signed up for the voluntary Privacy Code.

The Education Department has given Sydney Schools the all-clear to fingerprint their students.

The controversial move is voluntary, but only three parents have declined to allow their children to take part in a trial of the system at Rooty Hill High in Sydney's west.

School principal Christine Cawsey has told the Nine Network the system will be used to track children when they arrive at school, and as they visit the canteen, library and selected classrooms.

“When they put their finger on the scanner, they will get a good morning greeting on the screen [arwh] and then they go to class.”

USA news

2007-11-10T15:37:00.000Z

Just thought I post a list of articles of what is happening in the USA with biometric scanners in schools.

When I started this I could initially keep on top of what was happening in the states but the technology is being rolled at such a rate in the USA, it was difficult to keep up with it! This is the past couple of months news:

Should schools fingerprint kids?

Fingerprinting kids for school lunch comments from the 29th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners was held in Montréal, Quebec.

School store checks out in high-tech ways Detriot News

Finger-scanning implemented at local elementary schools Colorado

Wallenpaupack Area to offer cashless lunch Pennsylvania

Finger Scanning System at Oregon School Raises Security Concerns

From The Statesman in Oregon:

Scanning students' fingers hits a nerve

Lunch-line thumb scan won't hurt privacy

Thumb scanners keep information private

Schools add a personal touch - Denver Post

Orlando school scanners put on hold

2007-11-10T15:09:00.000Z

Whist schools are rolling out fingerprint systems in the UK, over in the USA it's also being brought in on a massive scale.

What is it with educationalists that makes them think it is acceptable to take a child's biometric data without even informing parents that they are going to do it. The same railroading tactics to finger scan the next generation are happening in the States as it is here in the UK.

If biometric technology is so great why not ask parents permission before their children's biometrics are taken and stored on a relatively insecure school computer?

Schools in Orlando didn't ask parents:

"Superintendent Bill Vogel said he had "indefinitely" delayed installation of finger scanners in lunchrooms at Hagerty High in Oviedo and Millennium Middle in Sanford. Officials say they jumped the gun by starting the scanning program without notifying parents or giving them a choice whether to have their children participate."

"There was not a letter sent out," Vogel said." - Why not? Here in the UK we have to sign permission slips for photographs taken, schools trips, food tasting, off site walks... why not biometric scans?

"I don't want to hear about this being a secure system or that it won't be used for anything else. No one can guarantee this," said Lisa Reese-Gordon in an e-mail complaint to Gov. Charlie Crist and school-district officials.

Look to recent law in Illinois, SB1702, which came into effect Aug this year states in section 5(B), page 4:

(5) A prohibition on the sale, lease, or other disclosure of biometric information to another person or entity, unless: (B) the disclosure is required by court order.

This could be law enforcement or government agencies.

Reese-Gordon, whose daughter attends Hagerty High, said there is"no educational purpose for the taking of fingerprints from children."

She's absolutely right. Biometric systems are purely used for administration purposes. Here in the UK children are the main proportion of the population using biometric systems.

If biometric systems are so time and cost effective why not use them routinely on the adult population? Why not in hospitals, civic centre, production lines, adult libraries, loyalties in stores, cash card authentication?

Why? Because adults question. In order for biometric systems to be efficient a large percentage take up of users would have to happen. But because we adults would question their use, who has access, how secure, etc. potential take up would be low and therefore not viable.

Children don't question, however parents would if we were asked - so we're not asked.

A bit of cancer with your chips?...but only with a fingerprint

2007-11-07T00:34:00.001Z

Rantings of a New Yorker has had a few comments to make recently on the new fingerprint and RFID chipped world that our children experience in school:

RFID Chips Wanted in British School Children’s Uniforms
There’s a New Jacket in Town, and It’s Keeping Track of Your Children
Parents Upset at Scanning Children’s Fingerprints so They Can Eat Lunch

Ooooh and here's one that parents and pupils of Hungerhill School, Doncaster, UK might want to read - RFID Implants Linked to Cancer

Thanks Rantings and Slashdot too :)

Leeds pupils speak out

2007-11-07T00:08:00.000Z

Over on Taz's blog the ongoing annoyance and concerns of pupils and parents at Morley High School, run by Education Leeds, continues, with much debate...

"i am a student at morley high school and now see why no letters were sent out, the ironic thing about this system is that in our school it dosent even work as expected because if multiple students use there fingerprints at the same time the orders get mixed up and so many people have to pay for things they havent even purchased ...and the head teacher is reported to be one of the best in the local area" mmm.... in some peoples views maybe not so "best"

Such systems can cost up to £25,000. When biometric systems do not educationally benefit children (depending from who's point of view), just think how better this 25K and the annual running costs of the system could be better spent on our children's education.

Outraged parents start their own blog

2007-10-29T21:50:00.000Z

A while ago I posted Leeds pupils bullied to give up their prints - here is the email in full on the Leave Them Kids Alone site. It makes for uncomfortable reading.

So now the parents whose children go to Morley High School in Leeds have started their own blog, http://morleyparents.blogspot.com/.

Here they voice their concerns on how the new biometric fingerprint system has been implemented allegedly leaving pupils who refuse to be fingerprinted without hot meals and children who don't use the canteen being photographed fingerprinted - read the blog for more.

Technology for technologys sake

2007-10-26T12:26:00.000Z

Okay, biometrics for vending machines, meals, entry and exit at school, libraries (and in the states school transport) now a school in Ilkley, Leeds, has a fingerprint cash paying in machine, for childrens school trips, that has set the school back £2500.

"The organisation of trips at Ilkley Grammar involves a turnover of £250,000 a year, mostly collected in £10 or £15 instalments. It means close to 20,000 transactions a year."

A quarter of a million pounds of parents money on school trips each year for around 1500 students (works out around £170 per pupil per year) suggests that Ilkely is a fairly affluent area and that the need for parents to pay in such small amounts could be managed better by the school.

"Head teacher Gillian James said in an explanatory letter to parents that the system would store a number based on a fingerprint reading. No fingerprint images would be stored". - Not exactly true, what is stored is an fingerprint algorithmic image that our UK police can access and use without parents and pupils knowledge (Deputy Information Commissioner Q50 & Q51).

I wish teachers would stop spouting the vendors and the governments "It's not a fingerprint...." speil and educate themselves.

Apparently - "The Information Commissioner and the Department of Education and Skills had said they had no concerns.", however these people do:

Kim Cameron, Microsoft's Identity Architect
Andrew Clymer, senior identity management security expert (more than 8 years at Cisco Systems, working with Visa, Fidelity, Merrill Lynch, etc - providing them with a secure network environment)
Paul Squires, Identity Solutions Architect at Enline plc
Bruce Schneier, a respected US writer and lecturer on issues surrounding security and privacy, who has testified before Congress and authored eight books and dozens of articles and academic papers.
Ralf Bendrath, privacy, security and internet researcher
Dr Sandra Leaton Gray, Director of Studies, Sociology of Education, Homerton College, Cambridge
Professor Emerita Leone Burton, University of Birmingham, visiting research fellow, Cambridge University
Patricia Deubel, PhD, adjunct faculty member in the graduate School of Education at Capella University
Dr James Atherton, learningandteaching.info
Jon Crowcroft, Marconi Professor of Communications Systems, University of Cambridge
Terrance Boult, University of Colorado
Eugene Schultz, Ph.D., CISM, CISSP, CTO of High Tower Software
David French , 30 plus years in IT, Wellington NZ
Brian Drury, IT security consultant, UK
Brian Honan, independent security consultant based in Dublin, Ireland
Dom Devitto, information Security consultant, UK
Rufus Evison MA (Cantab), senior IT consultant and company director, UK
An unnamed Police Fingerprint Officer (15+ years' experience)
Stephen Groesz, a partner with the law firm Bindmans
The Austrian Supreme Court
The States of Michigan, Illinios and Iowa (so far, others are likely to follow)
Tony Delaney, The Assistant Irish Data Protection Commissioner
Roderick Woo, Justice of the Peace at the Hong Kong Office of the Privacy Commissioner
George Radwanski, Privacy Commissioner of Canada
Ann Cavoukian, The Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
Damian Green MP, Conservative Home Affairs spokesman
The Rt Hon David Davis MP, Conservative Shadow Home Secretary
Nick Gibb MP, Conservative Shadow Minister For Schools
Baroness Carnegy, Conservative
Sarah Teather MP, LibDem Shadow Education Secretary
Greg Mulholland MP, Lib Dem Schools spokesperson
Baroness Walmsley, LibDem
Baroness Howe, Crossbencher
83 other MPs from all parties who have signed Early Day Motion 686 (frontbenchers do not usually sign EDMs)
More than 1500 parents who voted last summer in an online poll against kiddyprinting without parental consent. 93% opposed fingerprinting without consent.

Parents voice their concerns

2007-10-11T14:02:00.000Z

The Daily Mail reports today on growing concerns amongst parents about the practise of "fingerprinting" children in schools for food, books and access.

One parent has already taken legal advice after his child's school took biometric fingerprint from his child without even informing him.

"...a Suffolk filmmaker called Jonathan Adams, are considering legal action to stop schools in their tracks. "Litigation may be the only way forward," he says. "We fear they are in breach of the Human Rights Act, the Data Protection Act and the European Commission laws that safeguard the child.

"We have sought initial advice from lawyers."

This from David Clouter of Leave Them Kids Alone, (which as a parent I completely agree with),
"Schools send out consent slips for just about anything, from allowing popcorn during cinema trips to whether we can take pictures of the school play at the end of term," Mr Clouter says, "but they didn't plan to ask the parents about taking their children's fingerprints."

Fiona Elliot a parent in Doncaster, who was quoted in the article, had this letter from her children's primary schools which stated: " We have no legal requirement to ask for permission [from parents before 'fingerprinting' children] as we will not be breaching any data protection regulations"

...and the next sentance is quite unbelievable, "and also letters of permission are not always returned" (!)

I agree with Fiona, "If some choose to write this off as alarmist, she doesn't care", neither do I.

Children's biometric data secure for their lifetime?

2007-10-11T13:49:00.000Z

Over on Andy Clymer's blog he raises concerns of how children's biometric in schools may not be secure, even for their time at school.

"...a responsible biometric manufacture would secure biometric data as best they can today, but once the software has been deployed if that data is to be truly secure it needs have sufficient physical security measures in place provided by the owner to ensure that in the future the encryption based solution still has adequate merits, the moment you do not have complete ownership of the data all bets are off...and by their own admission the biometric provider in this case said their guarantees is for appx. 10 years, in the case of biometric data for kids that data is sensitive for 60-70 years."

Building Schools for the Future bidder builds biometric technology into schools

2007-10-09T17:02:00.000Z

The Sunday Heralds reports that after the palm vein scanner was trailed in a Scottish primary school last October, Amey who introduced the vein scanner, developed by Yarg Biometrics and Fujutsu, have plans to introduce this in another 11 schools for lunch lines and possible entry into schools:

"The private firm Amey is now presenting biometric systems as part of its pitch for all new school building contracts. The company was keen to assure parents in Renfrewshire, where 11 more schools are set to adopt palm readers, that the technology was safe and data could not be stolen or misused."

Vein scanning is mildly more acceptable than fingerprint scanners, as a vein print cannot be casually left at a location as a fingerprint can and so implicate you at a certain location (other than at a vein scanner). But Amey's claim that the technology is safe and data cannot be misused or stolen is a very grand claim, as these children's biometric data needs to be secure for the rest of their life time - decades... or at the very least for the life time of a child's schooling from 4-18 years old, until 2021.

How can parents, governors and pupils be consulted on this if building these biometric systems into schools are done at local government contract level? And "opt out" alternatives should be provided.

The government (BECTA) guidelines state that, "...schools should normally involve pupils and parents in their decisions to use biometric technologies as is the case with other decisions made during the school life of children ." page 7 of the "BECTA guidance on biometric technologies in schools"

- this Building Schools for the Future(BSF)/Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scenario seems to blatantly override the recent government guidelines here, unless there is a consultation process underway with parents and pupils that hasn't been reported in this case.

If their is no "involvement" with parents and pupils, there is no consequence for the companies/schools installing it. Well, hey ho, that's non legal/statutory guidance for you.

Biometric systems help visibly reduce wrinkle lines and bullying

2007-10-04T19:08:00.000Z

At Viewlands Primary, Perth, Scotland, a fingerprint scanning system is trialled for school lunches:

...a spokesman for the council insisted fingerprinting youngsters is safe and has helped reduce bullying. - the council spokesperson shows no evidence to back this statement up. In fact there is no evidence whatsoever that proves that using biometric systems in schools reduces bullying.

The spokesman claimed 90 per cent of parents had given permission for their children to take part and it was impossible for the system to be accessed by "unauthorised" users.

"Impossible"?... a fantastical claim to be made in this day and age when peoples identities are being stolen from cash point machines, NHS records stolen - re-surfacing on e-bay and banks not disposing of customers details properly.

Police able to access primary school fingerprint system

2007-09-28T12:34:00.000Z

The Highland News reports that Drakies Primary School in Inverness, Scotland, has spent £1000 on fingerprint scanners for their school library.

The below comment is, as far as I know, the first mention in the media of police having accessing school fingerprint databases. Police can use children's biometric databases in England and Wales without informing parents. It does state here that the police have to get permission from the school and parents, Scottish law is different to English and Welsh law so this may well be the case in Scotland - but not in England and Wales (see questions 50 and 51).

... a spokeswoman for the National Policing Improvement Agency said: "If the police have reason to suspect a child has committed a crime then as part of their investigation with permission of the school and the parent, the police can request access to the data if they have reason to believe it will help them with their investigation."

There is no relevance to the argument that fingerprints aren't stored - a biometric identifier is stored which carries the exact same implications as if a fingerprint was stored.

Leeds pupils bullied to give up their prints

2007-09-17T09:41:00.001Z

A parent from Leeds forwarded both myself and Leave Them Kids Alone details of how their 11 year old son's new school dealt with her concerns over a biometric lunch system, installed over the summer break.

The vendors of the lunch system treated the children without respect, the schools evaded questions, she got told by the bio-company "It is the law, it was passed in parliament in June this year. If you don't believe me, I can prove it" (what?!) and some courageous pupils refused on human rights grounds - good for them!

The email in full is on the LTKA [link temporarily removed] site, but here are some parts of the email that, quite frankly, makes my blood boil in the way the children were treated - but yet an admirable response in their stanse:

(parent) ...I had a telephone conversation with a very bright young girl who also attends this school. She refused to have her fingerprints taken, as did her friend. (Their human rights decision - she said) They have also heard of a few others who have refused too. They didn't agree with the way that the system had been sneaked into school and with no parental consent form. They were very scared, yet refused to cooperate. They were then threatened with the isolation unit, no school trips and wouldn't be allowed to enter into the school without the prints.

But.... my point is, they still refused! The girl said that many of her friends were very scared, they didn't like it and didn't want to have it done, yet they were still bullied into it (........ including her younger brother)

She said that they rounded up the kids like sheep for the slaughter, doing all the youngest first. The teenagers who are in their final year of school are going to be fingerprinted tomorrow. (14/09/2007) She also mentioned that apart from the science teachers, all the other teachers were completely in the dark about what was going on.

Courageous kids eh? bless em :-)

And this cashless system is supposed to 'prevent 'bullying eh?... the schools implementation of this scheme, in itself, raises some very serious questions!

Schools right to fingerprint without consent?

2007-09-16T21:47:00.000Z

Chris Woodhead, who was the Chief Inspector of Schools in England from 1994 until 2000, answers this parent query on the Times Online website.

My 15-year-old son’s school recently informed parents that it would be introducing technology which uses pupils’ fingerprints to pay for school dinners. The school say they want to discourage children from bringing cash into school. How is that schools can keep this sort of personal information that could lead to identity theft? Where do parents stand in demanding their child’s fingerprints be removed from the system? Fiona Byrne, Leicestershire

The school has no right to fingerprint your son without your consent. You can therefore demand that his fingerprints are removed from its records.

I worry that our children will come to assume that those in authority have a right to demand any information they desire.

Although schools may not have the right morally, schools, with the support of the Labour Government Education Dept, are being told that they are operating within the law which enables tham to 'fingerprint' children without informing parents - until this assumed right is tested in a court of law.

Superglueing fingers

2007-09-14T20:17:00.000Z

A friend sent me this from Klei's site.

India installing fingerprint systems in 40,000 schools

2007-09-14T13:56:00.000Z

We think we've got it bad in in Britain and the USA with using biometrics with children in schools, at a completely disproportionate rate to the adult population that use biometric systems. (Perhaps because adults have a grasp of their rights maybe?)

But move over UK and USA - enter India. 40,000 schools are to be using such biometric fingerprint systems within 3 years. That's some contract.

With there only being around 25,000 schools in the UK this gives a sense of perspective to the speed and growth of the biometric industry going into schools in India.

Unsurprisingly these fingerprint systems are being foisted on "one of the most backward districts of Gujarat having predominant tribal population and low literacy" - so no complaints there then!

In this particular setting I can partly understand why biometric technology is being deployed here, but I would hope that, as a tool, it is not abused as well, as the people that are using this are clearly some of the worlds most vunerable.

"The pilot project covers 680 primary schools, 70 Cluster Resource Centres (CRCs) and 4 Block Resources Centres (BRCs) in Narmada district, one of the most backward districts of Gujarat having predominant tribal population and low literacy. It will cover around 2,508 teachers and 76,000 students.

The expanded project is expected to cover around 40,000 schools, which are to be covered, in a phased manner, in the coming 2-3 years."

Oh no....

2007-09-13T11:11:00.000Z

Clayton school district in Missouri, are, next month, going to install fingerprint scanners in school lunch lines.

Oh dear...

"It's not a fingerprint," said Howie O'Neil, departing business administrator and board secretary.

"It's a mathematical algorithm based on a of couple points on the fingers and this cannot be traced by anybody or passed on."

Duh!

New US legislation halts school fingerprint technology

2007-09-07T13:22:00.000Z

This from the Chicago Tribune:

Shortly after rolling out a new lunch program that allows pupils to pay for hot meals with a scan of their fingerprint, Wilmette school officials put the system on hold after learning that a new Illinois law limits the use of biometric information to protect children's privacy.

Illinois General Assembly SB1702, specifically dealing with school biometric databases, came into effect on the 1st August this year.

Adam Denenberg, the school district's director of technology and media is quoted in the article saying, "...no fingerprints are stored or could be obtained by police."

However, a child's biometric fingerprint algorithm, stored on a school database, can be accessed by police, as SB1702, section 5(B), on page 4, details:

(5) A prohibition on the sale, lease, or other disclosure of biometric information to another person or entity, unless:

(B) the disclosure is required by court order.

Schools dinners drop by 250,000

2007-09-03T07:36:00.000Z

The number of secondary school children taking school meals has dropped by 250,000 in the past two years.

The Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA) National School Meals Survey have some interesting statistics:

In Primary Schools the number eligible for free school meals has dropped from 17.3% to 15.9% and the uptake from 14.2% to 13.1%.

In Secondary Schools the number eligible for free school meals dropped from 14.4% to 13.1% and the uptake from 10.6% to 9.6%.

The service is under immense pressure and already being seen by many private contractors as a non-viable operation.

LACA’s concern is that this may well be the case too for public sector caterers. It is not inconceivable that local authorities would consider abandoning the [food] service as budgets are unable to sustain the costs involved with the introduction of the New School Food Standards, particularly if Secondary students can continue to obtain, on the way to school and in break times, the food and drink items banned in school.

Why on earth would a school buy a biometric cashless system when clearly this is an area NOT to invest in at present, but manufacturers claims that such systems boost school meal uptake fly in the face of these recent LACA figures.

Fingerprinting in Australian schools

2007-09-02T12:32:00.000Z

Fingerprint biometrics in Australian schools is coming and civil liberties groups aren't happy about it.

"Australian Education Union state secretary Mary Bluett said the swipe card technology was too expensive for most state schools, but advances in fingerprint technology meant it would eventually be introduced throughout secondary schools.

The push for biometric security measures comes from a school photography company, Academy Attendance Systems which is offering technology that scans a student's thumbprint..." I bet it is!

Civil Liberties Council President Cameron Murphy says fingerprint logging is also a concern.

“It’s just not appropriate to be forcing school students to hand over their fingerprints so that they can be logged and on their way in and way out but also kept on a database for the rest of their life,” he said.

USA installs school scanners over summer break

2007-08-27T14:35:00.000Z

States in the USA have taken advantage of the summer break by installing fingerprint biometric scanner for lunches, in Ohio, Florida, West Virginia and Maryland.

Kathy Thomas, at Gilpin Manor Elementary school, said in this article some parents objections to the new system might be based on inaccurate information.

Mmm...based on her view I'd say she is the one inaccurately educated about the fingerprint systems. See these international computer expert's views on using school biometric systems.

She says, “The new system uses a student’s fingerprint to create a corresponding identification number based on certain unique points of the print,” she said. “But it’s not actually recording the fingerprint itself, and we’re not storing anyone’s fingerprints in our computers.” - Yes you are. It's a digital biometric identifier of a child's fingerprint, not noseprint, earprint or footprint - it's a fingerprint - law enforcement and governments use similiar biometric systems because it stores a "fingerprint".

This picture accompanied the article, let's see... there clearly is a computer with an image of a fingerprint on it, the print is recorded initially and a biometric identifier of the child's fingerprint is stored that is absolutely unique to that child and can be used in law i.e, Police can access school biometric databases if they wish.

Kathy Thomas then goes on to say.. "School officials, for instance, cannot provide law enforcement with a copy of a student’s fingerprint from the system because no actual prints are recorded." Wrong - I don't know about US law but certainly in the UK police are able to access a school biometric database, if they believe it will help solve a crime, without parental knowledge.

With regard to the USA, interestingly CSI NY , the tv series, (I think series 3 episode 10 entitled "Sweet 16") ran a sub-plot where a teenage girl was joyriding in a car and non of the fingerprints in the car were on the police database (AFIS). The school had a biometric database and the CSI squad ran it through the school database to check the print and found the joyrider via that.

Child fingerprinted without parents knowledge

2007-08-22T15:21:00.000Z

As Gloucester County Council decide whether or not to endorse the recent governments advice to schools on biometric systems one family in Gloucester finds out that their son was fingerprinted without their knowledge, for library use.

The parents are rightly furious.

Roberta Smart said: "They should certainly have asked before doing anything like this. I would have refused. Systems can also be hacked into, and identity fraud takes place often. Will our children be next?

These are youngsters and for them this is just the way things are done. That is why parents, who know it isn't, need to take a stand." Absolutely!

Certain comments on the 'this is gloucestershire.co.uk' website have been made by people uneducated on this issue, ignorant of the potential risks with these systems - however this is encouragingly balanced with informed comments.

Ignorance is driven by this practice of schools taking children's biometrics without properly consulting parents.

ACLU voices concerns as Indiana schools use fingerprint scanners

2007-08-16T14:44:00.000Z

The Herald Argos in Indiana, USA, have reported that biometric systems are to be implemented in the La Porte and New Prairie school corporations.

"Some parents were unaware of the fingerprint scan until contacted by The La Porte County Herald-Argus Tuesday. Parents at Olive have not received detailed information on the technology.

La Porte spent between $100 and $200 each for 15 scanners and pays $5,738 each year for software licensing."

Parents are concerned about the cost and ACLU have voiced their concerns regarding children surrendering their privacy at a younger and younger age. A CLU and parents across states in the USA, have helped convince schools officials in Boulder, Colo, and in Taunton, Mass. to abandon plans to use biometrics in schools.

Parents, such as Joy Robinson-Van Gilder and Patti Crossman, have been paramount in these changes of school board attitudes towards the casual biometric fingerprinting of children in schools.

"One person leading the campaign against this technology in Boulder was Joe Pezzillo, 38, a computer software developer involved with the technology.

He said that just because the finger isn’t dipped in ink and placed on paper doesn’t change the fact that it is a fingerprint.

“The fact of the matter is there is a unique identifier to identify your child whether it is stored as a number or a picture of the fingerprint,”

“You cannot change a fingerprint. It will uniquely identify the child for the rest of their life.” "

Gloucestershire County Council rethinking recent UK Government guidelines

2007-08-13T17:45:00.000Z

Despite the UK Government recently issuing guidance for schools using biometric systems Gloucestershire County Council are deciding whether to issue their own guidance to schools in their area.

With a total of 8,400 children already fingerprinted in the Gloucestershire area, some just four years old, members of all political parties in the county council have created draft guidelines to help schools decide whether to use fingerprinting.

This article reports that Gloucestershire County Council, "...strongly recommends schools should consider the implications of the biometric data before making a decision.Liberal democrats at Gloucestershire County Council have welcomed the draft guidelines, but say they should go further.

Lib Deb leader councillor Jeremy Hilton, said:

"Using biometric technology in schools introduces a number of serious and unnecessary risks.

"Personally I would encourage schools not to introduce fingerprinting."

Jackie Hall, lead cabinet member for children and young people, will decide whether to endorse the [government] guidelines in September.

Dubai to issue guidance to schools

2007-08-11T14:35:00.000Z

From Gulfnews.com - "Educationists and pupils in Dubai feel that schools should not be allowed to fingerprint students even though it would make some tasks much easier in the educational institutions. Senior officials are expected to issue guidelines to install fingerprint scanners and collect biometric data from children as young as five."

The guidance is to be issued as "they were responding to a report from the UK that schools are seeking government's permission to fingerprint pupils"

Laws should determine that, not a government. Sadly our UK laws are woefully out of date where this technology is concerned and very open ended.

Schools seemingly got the go ahead here in the UK when the non-statutory guidance was issued by the government last month, via BECTA's website.

How many children?

2007-08-11T11:01:00.001Z

Trying to get a figure of children with their biometric fingerprints on school databases is hard to estimate as the data on percentages varies according to statements from LEA's, manufacturers and Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.

But from this article Labour councillor Denise Headley uncovered 15 of Edmonton Green borough’s 92 schools using the "controversial biometric identification system".

In the same article Andy O'Brien, Managing Director of Micro Librarian Systems, states that 30% of schools use the fingerprint scanner. Is that Edmonton Green schools or just all schools? - because the figure from Edmonton Green is not 30%.

Working on 23%, which is just about in between the above figures and is also the percentage of schools using biometric databases in Suffolk from a recent FOI request, the following figures apply:

UK school population: Approx 9.5 million children.

England: 8,200,000
Wales: 494,181
Scotland: 743,561

23% of the total is 2,170,680 children.

So I think it it fair to say that over 2 million UK children have their biometric data on schools PC's. Maybe more.

I'd be very surprised if there are 2 million+ consenting parents to this.

Resources:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/933/0044805.pdf
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000682/SFR38-2006.pdf
http://new.wales.gov.uk/docrepos/40382/40382313/statistics/schools/1152752/key-edu-2006-e.pdf?lang=en link broken, see http://wales.gov.uk/docs/statistics/2011/110126sb72011en.pdf

Leave Them Kids Alone statement

2007-08-09T17:32:00.000Z

David Clouter of Leave Them Kids Alone has posted via the OurKingdom blog:

"School systems store fingerprint templates, the lifelong key to a person’s identity. Within 10 years these will be used to authenticate bank accounts and passports. World-renowned security experts argue that schools cannot possibly hold these securely and Microsoft identity Architect Kim Cameron has said that “It is absolutely premature to begin using conventional biometrics in schools”."

The Leave Them Kids Alone website is a great resource for parents to check out what is happening in the UK, USA or internationally regarding schools digitally fingerprinting children with or without parental consent or knowledge.

Schools 'soft targets' for ICT theives

2007-08-05T15:37:00.000Z

According to this article, figures published by the Metropolitan Police (Crime in London schools 2000-2004) show the number of burglaries at schools at 7,500 for the period.

"The problem, in part, is that schools are typically ‘soft’ targets. The problem is being further compounded, with respect to burglaries, as the government’s drive to put more computers, projectors, whiteboards and general ICT technology in schools, makes them very desirable targets for thieves."

With these staggeringly high theft figures for schools, this is a point to consider if your child is going to be using a school biometric system.

Reverse-engineering digital fingerprints

2007-07-31T14:25:00.000Z

One important point, that has been reiterated time and time again by biometric vendors, Jim Knight and the ICO, is that the biometric systems in schools cannot reverse-engineer a fingerprint.

This does not seem to be the case according to Kim Cameron's recent weblog, Architect of Identity and Access in the Connected Systems Division at Microsoft, entitled "Paper argues biometric templates can be reversed". It shows that reverse-engineering a digital fingerprint may just be possible. He cites this paper "Can images be generated from biometric templates" by Andy Adler, University of Ottawa, 2003.

Also see these Research discussions at West Virginia University from 2005 "We show that minutiae information can reveal substantial details such as the orientation field and the class of the associated fingerprint that can potentially be used to reconstruct the original fingerprint image."

Both of these papers are not too recent and since then one would presume that the technologies in this field have advanced.

However, even thought the possible reconstruction of a fingerprint seems relevant to the argument of biometric technology in schools, ownership and possible 'loss' of ones digital fingerprint is still very relevant... who has access to it, the systems it is on, how it can be used (or abused). These are the points that should be seriously considered by children (and parents) as they unwittingly give up their biometric data for systems in schools which are non essential for purchasing food or accessing library books.

UK non statutory guidelines issued....

2007-07-24T05:20:00.001Z

Non statutory (non legally binding) guidelines were issued yesterday by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, BECTA, regarding biometrics in schools, nicely coinciding with the House of Commons Adjournment debate on the subject.

'Guidence on the use of Biometric systems in schools' from BECTA and 'The use of biometrics in schools' came from the Information Commissioner's office, ICO, yesterday.

Balanced points of view are required to make informed judgements.

From the BECTA advice: 6 ...Schools should also reassure parents and pupils that they will not pass the data on to any third parties.

But are parents and pupils aware that the UK Police can access school biometric databases without parental permission if a crime can be solved? See Q50 and Q51 and subsequent answers from David Smith, the Deputy Information Commissioner, at the House of Common Home Affairs Committee "A SURVEILLANCE SOCIETY?" (May 2007).

Police "fingerprint" databases are not just ink fingerprints on sheets of paper with people peering at them with magnifying glasses when a crime needs to be solved - Police now use algorithmic fingerprint databases (Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems - AFIS) as detailed in the above mentioned ICO document third paragraph, just like the ones used in schools. These algorithms, via M1, can be interchangeable between differing systems.

Quote from the front page of the ICO advice: "Fingerprints are not essential to the applications but unlike swipe cards they cannot be lost"

This from a primary school using thumb scans (top right, second column): "The only issues we’ve had have been caused by us changing our hardware and a burglary when our main computer was stolen. [The biometric provider] helped us to resolve them all," (Perhaps biometric data was 'lost' here?)

Non legal advice - nothing resolved.

House of Commons Adjournment Debate

2007-07-24T01:24:00.000Z

There was a House of Commons Adjournment debate Monday 23rd July with Greg Mulholland, Lib Dem Shadow Education Spokesperson, leading the debate and Jim Knight, Labour Minister from the Department of children, schools and families, answering.

At long last debate time in parliament has been given over to the taking of children's biometric data without parental consent.

The debate can been seen here, it is the last item to be debated and can be found at 06.35.25 on the slider.

Luckily for Jim Knight, in order to answer Greg Mulhollands points and not to loose face, he had to have some advice from the ICO and BECTA - well and what do you know... after nearly a year of waiting for advice, the long awaited guidance from BECTA and the ICO just happened to be issued today.

Phew that was lucky for Jim Knight - what were the odds against that then?!!

Illinios Act, USA, HB 1559

2007-07-14T23:00:00.000Z

Act HB 1559 in Illinios, USA, regarding biometrics in schools should take effect 1st August 2007.
(If the above link is broken for HB1559 scroll down on the right column to 'Legal/Law' on this blog for the link)

Irish workers refuse to use biometric system

2007-07-09T09:54:00.000Z

Workers at The Abbey Theatre in Dublin have refused to give up their personal biometric data for a biometric system that "concerns the health and safety of the Abbey’s 100 full-time staff working in the buildings at various times across the course of the morning, day and night."

How can giving up your personal biometric data improve your health and safety working in a theatre? The biometric system is in it's first phase with the second phase being rolled out monitoring time and attendance according to the Sunday Business Post.

If adult workers are not happy with using such systems - why is it used with children without gaining parental permission or even letting parents know?

There are obviously concerns amongst the adult population about the uses of such technology and the level of personal data we as adults wish to give up, yet as a society we are creating a "do as I say not as I do" situation with biometrics in schools and children's privacy rights.

Back on the job!

2007-07-05T09:55:00.000Z

Not posted for a while, the recent flooding has disrupted our city with a 5th of all homes affected, schools shut, council services not operating to the full, events cancelled then rescheduled... we had 4 inches of water come through out front room ceiling, came in through the outside brick pointing as the guttering didn't cope with the monsoon like rain, buckets and tarpaulin saved the day -
but we got off lightly in comparison to some.

So... back to work!

Schools using biometrics for lunch recently, Kirkley High School in Lowestoft, Norfolk:
“The cashless catering system gives us the ability to influence where they eat and what they eat." said Headteacher, John Clinton

Also Bristol City academy is to scan students' fingerprints to allow them to get their lunch. The £20,000 (!) scheme will be launched at the City Academy - the first to be built in the city - from September.

One parent, Clare Stephenson stated,"I am staggered that no consultation has been made with parents about this and it is being pushed through in time for the new school term,"

Schools have the right to collect biometric data in the UK with out parents permission

2007-06-18T12:56:00.000Z

Independent Sunday 17th June

"Ministers will issue guidance telling schools they have the right to collect biometric data and install fingerprint scanners."

"It is understood that schools will not have to gain written permission from each parent before their child's fingerprints are taken."

"Schools will be able to place fingerprint scanners at the entrances to classrooms, the school gates and even in cafeterias."

Quite unbelievable. Doesn't the government take world leading experts seriously on this matter? Obviously not. This 'guidance' should make interesting reading when/if it is ever issued.

See the England Expects blog for more comment on this.

Biometric guidance for schools due before end June

2007-06-14T12:56:00.000Z

This from correspondence received today from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

"I believe the DfES are expecting the Becta guidance to be published before the end of June.

The ICO will be issuing its own statement on the issue at the same time. This will express fairly briefly our view on the use of fingerprint templates in schools."