Following our recent reporting, and in the face of mounting criticism from parents and the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, a plan to utilize biometric technology for student attendance tracking by Caribou High School has now been dropped.
The shelved project involved the deployment of identiMetrics, a fingerprint detection software produced by a Pennsylvania-based company. The software was aimed at bolstering student record accuracy and circumventing issues tied to missing student ID cards.
Originally brought to the families’ attention on January 24 through a letter sent by Principal Jamie Selfridge, the proposed system involved students placing their fingers on a biometric scanner. The subsequent identification data was to be stored for use in various school administrative applications, specifically monitoring student attendance.
Superintendent Jane McCall sought to clarify, especially in response to increasing concerns about privacy invasion, that the software was not like the fingerprinting systems employed by law enforcement. McCall stressed on Wednesday, “The identiMetrics system does not store actual fingerprints but utilizes biometric data solely for identification and attendance tracking within the school environment.”
However, she conceded that the school would revert to manual attendance-taking models after taking into account the apprehensions of the school community.
Further, McCall acknowledged that there was a “lack of clarity regarding the purpose of the system,” which was essentially to augment safety procedures for students, especially during emergency situations. She also said that school administrators were looking into alternative methods to maintain an accurate record of student attendance.
Despite the withdrawal of the plan, ACLU of Maine voiced its intention to continue its pursuit of information about identiMetrics and its connection to RSU 39.
Samuel Crankshaw, ACLU of Maine communications director, said on Thursday, “We hope to learn more about the tactics tech companies may use to market to schools and how they manage students’ most sensitive information.” Crankshaw added that the organization’s public records request is aimed at revealing how such tech companies operate in Maine to keep the state schools and parents well-prepared.
