Advice on the use of Biometric Data in schools

Guidance on how the Data Protection Act 1998 applies to the use of biometric data in schools was published yesterday by BECTA.

It advises schools to fully involve parents in any decision to introduce biometric or fingerprint technology to run cashless lunch queues, school libraries and attendance systems.  It restates schools' freedom to run their own affairs – including introducing new technology to free up teacher time and making day-to-day administration easier.

Schools choose biometric systems because they can speed up lunch queues; remove the need for children to take money into schools and remove any stigma with peers from pupils claiming free school meals because they are not identified. They also mean schools do not have to pay for the replacement of lost swipe cards and other identification.

Head teachers also choose to introduce biometric attendance systems at the school gate to save teachers time in taking registers and prevent unauthorised access to school premises. Similar systems can be used to record pupils' attendance at each class to identify whether particular pupils are not attending particular classes – and prompting schools to take action.  

The guidance underlines that headteachers and governing bodies should be clear and open with all parents and pupils about this and all aspects of their education. This could involve explaining what biometric technology is; how it will be used; what is involved; what data will be held and stored; why it is required; how it will be secured; and how long it will be retained.

It also advises that schools should recognise some parents' or pupils' concerns over the introduction of biometric technology and offer alternative systems, like smartcards, to access the same services if they want to opt out. 

The guidance also describes how biometric systems are designed simply to validate a pupil's identity – not hold any other data. It is stored as complex algorithms or number streams, from which it is currently technically impossible to recreate an actual fingerprint image.

The guidance, produced in conjunction with the Information Commissioner, sets out how Data Protection Act 1998 applies to the use of biometric data in schools - building on Becta's existing guidance on data security and the data protection law.

The Data Protection Act requires that:

• schools cannot use biometric information other than for the express purpose for which it was collected. This means that data taken for the use on in a library, can only be used for that purpose;
  
• schools process all personal data fairly and lawfully. This means that schools ensure that all pupils, or their parents if schools judge they cannot understand, know what personal information they have on record and how they intend to use it;
  
• schools cannot pass on biometric information to any outside organisation nor can third parties access this information;
  
• schools cannot keep personal data for longer than it is needed for its specified purpose. Pupils' biometric data should therefore be destroyed when they have left the school.
  
• schools put appropriate security in place to safeguard personal data from unauthorised processing and accidental loss, destruction or damage. Becta gives clear guidance to schools on data and ICT security.

Comments

[Elyen Derim]

I liked this article that I had read once couple of weeks ago, from this lady Ms.Nancy Williams http://www.articleset.com/Education_articles_en.htm . The topic is Are Biometrics, Childrens new toys and it was informative about this whole current issue and how we should look at this current issue. In America alot of schools have already adopted to this system of using biometric technology and me as a parent I had issues too. But on this article there was company refrence name M2SYS (www.m2sys.com) who are leading providers of biometric technology in schools infact both in the U.S and U.K .
I had fruitful discussion with the company M2SYS and I I was satisfied with the answers I got.
Oneday, I had a discussion with a friend of mine and actually found out that if we really think about it, if our governments really wanted to track us, they dont need to fingerprint us, they can use a whole alot of other ways and they dont need to keep our baby fingerprints. If anyone has watched the movie ENEMY OF THE STATE then you would really understand what I mean. Our governments can actually without telling us can tap our phone calls, check on us and put bugs every where and we wont know and they might be doing it rite now. But I do understand with all the other parents and how they feel. To my opinion we should just wait and watch and see what happens. My childre's school has used such technology over 3 years at the beginning its been rough but due in time I guess everyone got use it and now everyone is happy with the system. But you need really responsible school administrators to handle such type of technology, so the databse can at all times be well maintained and protected.