The British Educational Communications and Technology Agency's guidance for schools on how to implement biometrics in accordance with data-protection laws, published on Monday, advises schools to involve parents in any decision to introduce biometric or fingerprint technology. At the same time it insists schools have the freedom to run their own affairs.
Drawn up with support from the Information Commissioner's Office, the guidance stresses that head teachers and governing bodies should be clear and open with all parents and pupils about the use of biometric systems. This could involve: explaining what biometric technology is; how it will be used; what is involved; what data will be stored; why it is required; how it will be secured; and how long it will be retained.
Schools are also advised to recognise parents' or pupils' concerns over the introduction of biometric technology and offer alternative systems, such as smartcards, to access the same services if they opt out.
British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) chief executive Stephen Crowne underlined that schools must make their own decisions over the systems they employ but need to take account of the sensitivities surrounding the technology. He said: "Schools must ensure that they engage fully with parents and pupils and consider the provision of alternative systems if there are strong objections to the use of biometric technology."
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Biometric systems, says the guidance, are designed to validate a pupil's identity and should not hold any other data. They can help to speed up lunch queues, remove the need for children to take money into schools and remove the stigma for pupils who claim free school meals. Biometric attendance systems can also be used to save time in taking registers and preventing unauthorised access to school premises.
Under the Data Protection Act 1998, schools can only use biometric information for the express purpose for which it was collected. They must also process data fairly and lawfully to ensure that all pupils or their parents, if the pupils are not able to understand, know what personal information is held on record and how it will be used.
"Schools are well used to handling sensitive information like attendance registers, behaviour records and home addresses," said schools minister Jim Knight.
"But we are absolutely clear that they have to comply with data-protection laws. That means that this data can only be used for its stated purpose; cannot be shared with third parties beyond this stated purpose; and it must be destroyed when a pupil leaves their school."
Talkback
Smart cards, personal IDs, RFIDs violate civil rights. No more privacy. It looks very wonderful to eliminate lunch queues, to prevent unauthorised access to schools, etc. But there are controlling structures behind the scene. Have you been in library? Someone knows it - you've used your access card - and this one knows exact time you entered it and exited it. May be even what you've read? What you've copied? May be it was some "forbidden" book? "Archipelag Gulag" by Solgenitsin? And now you're suspected person? Welcome to the Orwell's "1984". Because of one of the most valuable freedoms of the human is freedom to self protect against government. No one have to disclose his personality to governmental agency unless this agency have good reason to ask. In the case of RFID's they even don't have to ask - they will scan. Scan when you get the job. When you have a lunch, what you see, to whom talk to and what you've done. No more choice. Just barcode on every human being http://www.barcodeart.com/ART/tattoo/slave_hand_sm.jpg
Engage with parents, pupils and teachers? Very unlikely.
This is public sector obfuscation at its most sinister - what the hell to they want my child's biometric data for???
As our society embraces the 'freedoms' and 'choices' of the Internet age, its curious how much it starts to resemble the Stalinist regimes of the old Eastern bloc.