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.
That, and the system didn’t work, perhaps because of grubby fingers or a computer glitch, said officials from Wilmette Elementary School District 39.
“The jury is still out. We tried it just one day, and it was unsuccessful,” said interim Supt. Ray Lechner.
In the next few months, District 39 officials expect to consider formally adopting the finger-scan technology, which has been controversial nationally. But already they’ve learned that navigating this new frontier is fraught with such perils as parents’ concerns about their children’s privacy and running afoul of new legal requirements.
Under a new amendment to Illinois’ education code, the school must get parental permission to scan a child’s fingerprint — something Wilmette officials have not yet done.
The law defines biometric data as “any information that is collected through an identification process for individuals based on their unique behavioral or physiological characteristics, including fingerprint, hand geometry, voice or facial recognition or iris or retinal scans.”
For now, Wilmette pupils are punching in an ID number on a keypad, which pulls up their account on a computer screen, giving the cashier a display that shows their photo, monetary balance and a description of any food allergies.
Some parents said they were pleased with the new system because they can deposit money into the account over the Internet and track what their children are eating. Last year, children had to present lunch cards, which often were lost, damaged or lent to friends without parental permission, officials said.
But other parents called the district to ask why their children were being fingerprinted at Highcrest Middle School and Wilmette Junior High School, where the biometric system was tested.
“Parents absolutely have the option to say I don’t want my kid in the system,” said Adam Denenberg, the school district’s director of technology and media, who tells parents that no fingerprints are stored or could be obtained by police.
The goal is to increase the district’s efficiency and accountability while making it easier for parents to pay for and manage their children’s diets.
But privacy advocates say parents should be concerned. They warn that there is no way to guarantee that the information that links a child’s fingerprint to an online account can’t be misused, compromised or stolen.
“This is a very important area as far as we’re concerned,” said Lillie Coney, associate director for the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington. “The policies that are being set in public schools are coming under the radar. Parents are not getting sufficient notice. Usually they bury it at the bottom of the newsletter.”
In Earlville, a mother of five pushed for the Illinois law restricting the use of biometrics after becoming alarmed two years ago when she was told her 7-year-old had to be “scanned” in order to buy a hot lunch.
“Who knows what they’re going to do with my son’s fingerprint impression,” said Joy Robinson-Van Gilder, 35, a private investigator. “People need to be realistic. What if someone uses it to open an account for my son? They say it’s foolproof. Well, nothing is foolproof.”
Unlike an adult who uses a fingerprint to buy groceries or be screened for a job, a child is more vulnerable and should be off-limits, said Robinson-Van Gilder of Earlville, about 75 miles west of Chicago.
Companies marketing the program say that no fingerprint is stored in the computer, but that five or six distinct features from the print are used to create a string of numbers and letters for an algorithm.
“It’s basically a one-way process,” said John Draper, lead developer of the School Dining System technology purchased by the Wilmette school district.
“You can put your finger on the scanner, turn it into a number and see if you get a match from a database. But you can’t lift a fingerprint from a glass and identify a student by it.”
The business, Information Services USA, is based in Hiawatha, a suburb of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, competes with 25 to 30 other companies nationally that sell similar services. Ironically, Iowa is one of a handful of states that has outlawed the use of biometric information in schools out of fear it could be misused.
In Wilmette, officials wanted to speed up lunch lines and give parents access to their children’s lunch accounts, which can track their food choices and eventually will include a nutritional breakdown of their meals.
The school district, with an enrollment approaching 4,000, paid about $15,000 for the School Dining System package, including training, hardware and software, Denenberg said.
Alison Rodes, 45, whose two sons attend different schools in District 39, was also pleased that she could deposit money into a family account and view information for both children at the same time.
“It’s wonderful to be able to do this all online,” she said. “Before, we would get a call or a note and have to come in and write a check.”
Lori Goldstein, 47, of Wilmette said she felt confident the district could keep its children’s information private if it moves to the fingerprint scans. She learned about the system during the summer as a member of a communitywide parent-teacher organization.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Goldstein said. “I did get a call from one parent who was real adamant about, ‘Why are we fingerprinting the kids?’ … Another parent was worried if the police should get hold of these [fingerprints].”
For now, Wilmette pupils are memorizing their ID numbers.
“Because they’re so adept at text messaging, the kids enjoy it,” Lechner said. “It’s much faster [than the lunch card].”
But on Wednesday, students typing in the code experienced at least one disadvantage compared with the higher-tech alternative: You can’t forget your fingerprint.
Some, like Christine Lee, 10, a 5th grader at Highcrest Middle School, furrowed her brow and punched in a few numbers unsuccessfully before the cashier pulled up her account by using her name.
Jay Miner, 10, referred to a five-digit number he had scrawled on the palm of one hand.
“I keep forgetting it,” he said. “I rewrite it every day.”
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lblack@tribune.com
