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.
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