Biometrics Thanks to some new technology, keeping your children safe and healthy may get easier. Food Service Solutions, a software developer, has introduced biometric fingerprint scanning technology into public school cafeterias. The technology allows the Penn Cambria public school district to use fingerprint scanning to keep track of the food and beverages children choose. The district adopted Food Service Solutions’ system in 1999 to help serve their 1,800 students. Brenda Bucynski of Penn Cambria’s food services office says that fingerprint units are stationed at the end of each lunch line in the high school, middle school and elementary school. Once parents prepay for lunches, they can see how their money is spent. The technology allows parents to view a transaction history of what their kids are eating, and grants anonymity to students who are enrolled in free or reduced-cost lunch programs. According to Food Service Solutions, the fingerprint map created at registration is stored as a mathematical algorithm. The company is looking into expanding the system so that it can be used to check out books from libraries, as well as for access control and attendance tracking. Some schools are also exploring ways to use the technology to track students on buses. With a small reader just inside the bus’s entrance, drivers would be alerted if a student boarded the wrong bus and school administrators would know which student is on which bus at any given time. Indiana-based Synovia has developed school bus GPS tracking that can be used with RFID readers and fingerprint scanning systems. The benefits include the ability to track statistics on individual bus stops, buses or schools. The administration would also have the capability to create passenger lists and rider reports based on the data. Synovia’s GPS tracking is currently installed in hundreds of school buses, mostly in the Midwest. GPS allows the administration to track the stop times, speed and location of all their buses. Schools and parents can be alerted to any delays. Related content feature Top cybersecurity M&A deals for 2023 Fears of recession, rising interest rates, mass tech layoffs, and conservative spending trends are likely to make dealmakers cautious, but an ever-increasing need to defend against bigger and faster attacks will likely keep M&A activity steady in By CSO Staff Sep 22, 2023 24 mins Mergers and Acquisitions Mergers and Acquisitions Mergers and Acquisitions brandpost Unmasking ransomware threat clusters: Why it matters to defenders Similar patterns of behavior among ransomware treat groups can help security teams better understand and prepare for attacks By Joan Goodchild Sep 21, 2023 3 mins Cybercrime news analysis China’s offensive cyber operations support “soft power” agenda in Africa Researchers track Chinese cyber espionage intrusions targeting African industrial sectors. By Michael Hill Sep 21, 2023 5 mins Advanced Persistent Threats Cyberattacks Critical Infrastructure brandpost Proactive OT security requires visibility + prevention You cannot protect your operation by simply watching and waiting. It is essential to have a defense-in-depth approach. By Austen Byers Sep 21, 2023 4 mins Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe