HUMAN rights campaigners have criticised education bosses after it emerged thousands of schoolchildren are being fingerprinted.
HUMAN rights campaigners have criticised education bosses after it emerged thousands of schoolchildren are being fingerprinted.
Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act show 83 schools in the county are using biometric data to identify pupils.
Human rights groups said the move was an unnecessary invasion of privacy and that children should not be encouraged to give out sensitive personal information.
Suffolk County Council has defended the practice, saying biometric recognition is only used for the issuing of library books and is not passed on to any other organisations, including the police.
But Phil Booth, national co-ordinator for human rights organisation NO2ID, said to use fingerprinting technology instead of simple library cards was “overkill”.
He said: “Fingerprinting every child in a school just so they can take a book out of the library is like using a gold-plated sledgehammer to crack a nut.
“Parents should be given the choice to 'opt-in', not 'opt-out', of such schemes and make an informed choice having been given the full facts.
“Instead their consent is presumed and they are pressured into handing over their children's biometric identity.”
Terri Dowty, director of Action on Rights for Children, said: “Our main concern is around the casual use of biometric data. We are entering an age when this information will be very important to help us get passports and ID cards and we should not encourage children to get in the habit of giving it out easily.”
Jonathan Adams' 11-year-old son was fingerprinted at East Bergholt High School for his library card.
Mr Adams, a filmmaker from Hadleigh, said: “I think it's completely wrong. Children are having their human rights infringed upon and what's more schools don't even have to ask for parental permission.”
However, Steve Howard, head of corporate information and records at the county council, assured that at no point does the biometric technology take or store images of a pupils' fingerprints.
He said: “Where a school has experienced problems using library cards (these can be stolen or 'borrowed' leading to the loss of books) schools may decide to implement the use of fingerprint recognition as an alternative.
“This is the individual school's responsibility. When a school does decide to introduce a library management system complete with fingerprint recognition, the county council advises the school that they should write to parents explaining the system, and the fact that no fingerprint itself is stored, and that they can, if they wish, opt for their child not to participate.”
N Do you think the system infringes on a child's human rights? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk
List of Suffolk schools with biometric recognition systems
Abbots Green Community Primary School
Amberfield School
Belstead School
Beyton Middle School
Blackbourne CE Middle School
Brantham Brooklands Primary School
Breckland Middle School
Britannia Primary School
Bungay High School
Castle Hill Junior School
Castle Hill Middle School
Cedarwood CP School
Claydon High School
Claydon Primary School
Clifford Road Primary School
College Heath Middle School
Copleston High School
Combs Middle School
Crowfoot Community Primary School
Deben High School
Downing Primary School
East Bergholt High School
Elm Tree Middle School
Elmsett CE Primary School
Fairstead House School
Foxborough Middle School
Grange Primary School
Great Cornard Middle School
Hadleigh High School
Handford Hall Primary School
Hardwick Middle School
Hillside Community Primary School
Holbrook High School
Holbrook Primary School
Holton St Peter Community Primary School
Honington CE (VC) Primary School
Horringer Court Middle School
Howard Middle School
Ixworth CE (C) Primary School
Ixworth Middle School
Kirkley High School
Kirkley Middle School
Kyson Primary School
Lakenheath Primary School
Laxfield All Saints CE Primary School
Leiston High School
Lothingland Middle School
Moreton Hall Preparatory School
Murrayfield Primary School
Norton C of E VC Primary School
Occold Primary School
Old Buckenham Hall School
Paddocks Primary School
Priory School
Ranelagh Primary School
Roman Hill Middle School
Rose Hill Primary School
Sidegate Primary School
Springfield Junior School
Sprites Primary School
St James CE School
St Mark's Catholic Primary School
St. Gregory CE Primary School
St. John's CE (A) Primary School
St. Joseph's College
Stoke Ash Primary School
Stowmarket Middle School
Stowupland High School
Stradbroke Business and Enterprise College
The Abbey
The Denes High School Business and Enterprise College
The Harris Middle School
The Oaks Primary School
Thurston CE (C) Primary School
Trimley St. Mary Primary School
Tuddenham CE Primary School
Walsham-le-Willows CE VC Primary School
Wells Hall Primary School
Whitton County Primary School
Whitton Green Community Primary School
Wickham Market Community Primary School
Woodbridge Primary School
Woods Loke Primary School
Source: Suffolk County Council
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