FAYETTEVILLE — In the same way DVDs became favored over video tapes, new technologies are phasing out the days when students paid for cafeteria meals with cash or a pre-paid meal cards.
At many schools, students are given a code number that they punch in or provide to the cafeteria workers as they check out.
Another technology, which is being considered by West Fork Public Schools, allows students to pay for their meals simply by pushing a button.
The district currently scans meal cards in the high school cafeteria, but it is considering the purchase of a fingerprint scanning device. Students would have their finger scanned to pay for their meals.
An information sheet about the system, developed by a company called eTritionWare, calls thedevice a Meal Tracker Fingerprint Reader.
The company says it solves the problem of lost cards or forgotten numbers by allowing students to press the button. At a recent West Fork Board of Education meeting, John Karnes, the high school principal, said he believes the devicecould save time in cafeteria lines and eliminate problems such as students sharing code numbers.
Superintendent Diane Barrett said she wanted to put off any immediate implementation of the technology, though, expressingconcerns that parents might find the technology invasive if not properly informed about how it works.
In an effort to alleviate concerns about privacy issues, the company claims the students' fingerprint images are not shared or stored. According to an information sheet from eTritionWare, the meal tracker is a nonforensic application. Instead of scanning the full fingerprint, it only scans specific ridge line points on the finger.
"When students register their fingerprint, the system is only capturing plotted points of their fingerprint - not the fingerprint itself," according to the information sheet. "These plotted points are then used to confirm the identity of the patron for serving their meals. Again, their fingerprint image is not captured and cannot be shared."
Mark Findahl, board member, said he hasn't heard any feedback from patrons one way or another on the issue. One potential positive, though, is it could eliminate the problem of students who misplace or forget their cards.
The current practice at the school is that students who forget their cards have to go to the back of the line beforethey are checked out. Some of them might skip lunch rather than going through that trouble, and the finger scanner could end that practice, he said.
Findahl said he believes the practice would be secure and not infringe on student privacy. The administration will put together a demonstration for the device sometime next year, and hopefully that will satisfy any concerns about how the product is used, Findahl said.
Such devices like the one West Fork is considering are already used at some public schools in Arkansas.
A secretary who answered the phone for the Lead Hill School District said the school system uses a finger scanner in its cafeteria line. She said the superintendent was out, and she could not provide more details. The small school district - less than 400 students - only has one cafeteria for all students, so both elementary and high school students use it.
Lisa Jenkins, food service director for Fayetteville Public Schools, said cafeteria lunch lines are set up so students punch in a number when they check out the meal.
They do run into some problems with students forgetting codes, she said, but most of the time that is with the very young students during the first few weeks of the year. Jenkins said the main reason school cafeterias use these newer devices is they save time and are more efficient.
"Just the same reason people use computers (for writing)," Jenkins said.
Most schools that do use a fingerprint check system will use it at secondary schools like the high school. The devices seem to work better on older students' larger fingers, she said.
An Internet search found that the finger-scanning devices are used at schools around the country. Some schools allow students who do not want their finger scanned to opt out by punching in a code number.
News, Pages 1, 5 on 07/27/2009