Teachers, Parents
and Guardians:
The Child Nutrition Services Department is pleased to announce the purchase
of a Point of Sale Computer System which will bring new state-of-the-art
technology into our current secondary schools and future community learning
centers.
Teachers, students and parents will be given detailed information as this
technology is implemented at their school. Parents will be given a choice
between biometrics registration, or a student ID number for each child.
Our recommendation to parents is biometric finger imaging. Finger imaging
identifies only points on a finger. The actual finger image is discarded,
and all that remains is a number, which cannot be reconstructed, duplicated,
or used for any other identification purposes. Think of it like a very
secure key-one that cannot be lost, stolen or passed on to someone else.
Compared to alternative methods used by many area schools, like photo
ID cards and numbers, finger imaging is the only method that fully protects
the student's identity.
We are excited to offer parents the opportunity to pay for their student's
meals in advance while monitoring their child's daily spending habits
and menu choices. Students may still choose to pay with cash. Students
who qualify for meal program benefits will no longer have to worry about
lost or stolen tickets or the stigma of being identified as a "free
student". Additionally, the Point of Sale System will allow for more
menu selections.
The Child Nutrition Department has sound financial operations, and meal
prices have not been raised to purchase this system. Compared to other
local schools, which offer meals priced from $1.80 to $2.70, Akron was
able to maintain a lunch price of $1.35 for over ten years. Additionally
we have implemented Provision 2, Universal Feeding at all elementary schools,
which allows students to eat breakfast and lunch at no charge
regardless of family income. Secondary students may participate in no
charge breakfast program, where applicable, under the Provision
2 guidelines.
Parents and students can rest assured that Akron Public Schools and Child
Nutrition Services have always safeguarded the private information of
our families and will continue to do so. We are legally and morally obligated
to do this, and we take this responsibility very seriously.
The Akron Community has voiced their desire
for modern buildings with state-of-the-art technology. Biometric technologies
are quickly becoming the efficient alternative to traditional identification
systems in college dormitories, health clubs, hospitals, banks, car rental
agencies and many workplaces. The Child Nutrition's Point of Sale System
will allow us to equip our schools with the tools necessary to bring our
nutrition programs into the 21st century.
We welcome your questions and comments. You
can submit questions directly on this web site at the Ask
the Dietitians, or Contact Us pages.