BIOMETRICS TECHNOLOGY How the system works

A growing number of Ohio school districts are implementing biometrics technology — software that allows students to deduct the price of their lunches from prepaid accounts with the touch of a fingerprint. Here’s how it works:

Students who chose to enroll in the program swipe the tips of either their left or right index fingers onto a reader to add themselves to a central database.

The reader identifies seven to 15 points in the print and converts the distances between each point into a unique algorithmic code. Every time the student swipes a finger, the code identifies the student.

In the lunch line, fingerprint swipes automatically deduct money from a prepaid account.

Students who qualify for federally subsidized lunches use the same method, avoiding any stigma.

Sources: Meals Plus Cafeteria Management Technology:

http://www.mealsplus.com/

and Food Service Solutions:

http://www.foodserve.com/