Schools scanned students' irises without Parents permission

Father of four · May 30, 2013

Schools scanned students' irises without permission ? RT USA

"Parents in Polk County, Florida are outraged after learning that students in area schools had their irises scanned as part of a new security program without obtaining proper permission.

Students at three facilities an elementary school, a grade school and a high school had their eyeballs scanned earlier this month as part of a student safety pilot program being carried out by Stanley Convergent Security Solutions.

It simply takes a picture of the iris, which is unique to every individual, Rob Davis, the school boards senior director of support services, wrote home to parents in a letter dated May 23. With this program, we will be able to identify when and where a student gets on the bus, when they arrive at their school location, when and what bus the student boards and disembarks in the afternoon. This is an effort to further enhance the safety of our students.The EyeSwipe-Nano is an ideal replacement for the card based system since your child will not have to be responsible for carrying an identification card, he added. ..."

Father of four · May 30, 2013

<broken link removed>

" ... One parent posted on Facebook:

I have been in touch with the principal at my son's school this morning regarding the iris scans. She verified everything my son told me, she says the scans were completed on May 22. She said that she was following instructions from the Polk County School Board (PCSB), and that she knew very little, if anything, about this before it occurred, she just did as she was told. She gave me the name and number for her two contacts at the PCSB whom she said were pulling these strings on this "security pilot program".

By the time we were able to make a phone call to PCSB (a time span of about 1 hour), the secretary told us that this pilot program had been suspended. When we did get a return call from one contact, she reiterated that the program has been suspended, like this should appease us. My husband continued to ask where our son's private scans were, and she said the company was instructed to destroy the information. When we asked how do we know this has happened, there was no answer.

It is interesting that this letter went home on Friday afternoon at 3pm. Like I told you originally, everyone was gone by 4pm when I tried to make calls. So when exactly did this program get suspended? As of Friday afternoon, it was still in effect. Are they trying to say that somehow it was suspended by Tuesday morning (Monday being a holiday)? It seems like they are mostly focused on this program, like the program was the problem. It's not, it's the invasion of my family's Constitutional right to privacy that is the problem, as well as the school allowing a private company access to my child without my consent or permission. This is stolen information, and we cannot retrieve it. ..."

Father of four · May 30, 2013

Michelle Malkin | Confirmed: Polk County, FL schools conducted iris scans on students without permission «

"The schools involved:

Daniel Jenkins Academy – high school
Bephune Academy – elementary school
Davenport School of the Arts – middle school."

"Davis says all of the data has been destroyed.

So has the trust parents have in these negligent educrats violating family privacy in the name of "safety."

OLDNEWBIE · May 30, 2013

I worry about the Orwellian world my kids will be left with. All the old school sci-fi/political writers predictions are coming true. All the tools are in place and so are some of the main characters already. It's just a matter of time.

Father of four · May 30, 2013

My wife was just telling me about a book she just started reading on Language. It was a 2nd-3rd edition printed in 1870-something. The guys was born in 1800. He is quoted in the book saying "The notion that education itself was primarily moral, and only secondarily intellectual."

The book is...McGuffey's Fifth Electric Reader, 1879 Edition.

LoneStar · May 30, 2013

Just another reason to homeschool your children.

Nick Burkhardt · May 30, 2013

OLDNEWBIE said:
I worry about the Orwellian world my kids will be left with. All the old school sci-fi/political writers predictions are coming true. All the tools are in place and so are some of the main characters already. It's just a matter of time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bXJ_obaiYQ