ThirdFactor | Pittsburgh school implements biometric pilot

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

The Fort Crawford Elementary School, located in the Pittsburgh area, has implemented a pilot program allowing its students to utilize biometrics to pay for their lunch instead of money or an access code, according to a Pittsburgh Trib Total Media article. The new system, developed by School-Link Technologies, enables children to scan a finger that is connected to their lunch account when at the register in their cafeteria and have their lunch account debited accordingly.

One of the main reasons the school has employed such a system is to combat the problem of its younger students forgetting the six-digit PIN the previous system required for debiting school lunch accounts. Additionally, the system provides cafeteria workers a way to allow children who qualify for free-lunch programs to use the program without broadcasting it.

While it is not yet available, the system is expected to be able to provide parents of students enrolled in the program a read-out of what their children are ordering and how much money they are spending. The system has received a positive response from those utilizing it so far and other schools in the area are looking to follow suit due to the success.

Read the full story here.

HID completes NFC key pilot at ASU

HID Global has announced the successful completion of the world’s first university pilot of NFC smart phones carrying digital keys.

First announced in September, the pilot involved a select group of students and staff at Arizona State University using NFC-enabled smart phones equipped with HID’s Secure Identity Object (SIO) Technology. Participants could gain access to their residence halls and other secure access areas by tapping their handset against a reader embedded in the door and entering a PIN, rather than use their plastic campus card.

Illinois high school tests program to track bus riders

Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, Ill., is piloting a program that can track students on school buses. The goal is to increase safety while determining more efficient bus routes. The school rolled out the program in late January that provides each student with a card that the student uses as he enters or exits a school bus.

Alabama schools in pilot program to track students riding buses

The Huntsville, Ala. school district is conducting a pilot program that will track when and where students get on and off the bus. Currently, three schools–an elementary, middle and high school–are involved in the pilot.

Student information at Orlando college posted online

Personal information of 9,000 current and prospective students was inadvertently posted online by Valencia College in Orlando. The school has apologized for the mistake.

The information included the students’ names, addresses, dates of birth and student ID numbers but not their Social Security numbers or financial information.

Finger scanning utilized at two West Virginia high schools

High schools in Jefferson County, W.V. will be implementing biometric finger scanning in an effort to provide security for the students’ cafeteria accounts. Purpose of the program, according to school officials, is to eliminate clerical errors and to provide students with an easy way to identify themselves when using the cafeteria.

Washington, D.C. students now need DC's One Card

Washington D.C. high school and middle school students now need a DC One Card to ride the city’s transit system. The card is a single ID card that gives students access to most D.C. government programs and facilities, including recreation centers, libraries, and the Metro.

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Pittsburgh school implements biometric pilot