Eye Recognition in Schools

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washingtonpost.com

N.J. Schools Testing Eye Recognition

By ANGELA DELLI SANTI
The Associated Press
Monday, April 21, 2003; 4:41 PM

PLUMSTED, N.J. - The biggest security breach in recent memory in this small central New Jersey
school district happened when a parent forgot to sign in at the office before delivering cupcakes to a
child's classroom.

So it was somewhat of a surprise when the Plumsted district's three schools became the test site for a
cutting-edge eye recognition security system designed to keep out strangers.

"We're an appealing test site because we are a small community where everybody knows everybody,"
said Michael Dean, the schools' technology coordinator. "We're taking a rural town and asking, `What is
John Q. Public's perception of this technology? What is people's comfort level - is this easy to use?'"

The iris scanning technology will be used to identify employees and those authorized to pick up children
in the 1,800-student district. Anyone else will have to show ID before being allowed in. Students
themselves will never been screened.

In the wake of shootings and child abductions, schools nationwide have been taking steps to tighten
security, from installing metal detectors and video cameras to hiring extra guards.

But iris scanning has never been used in a school, according to Lina Page, director of marketing for
Iridian Technologies. The company holds patents on the iris recognition software being used here.

Iris recognition systems use a video camera to record the colored ring around the eye's pupil. More
accurate than fingerprints and other biometric markers, iris scanning is considered a nearly foolproof
way of identifying people because markings in the iris are unique to each person and do not change as
people age.

Plumsted was among some 400 school districts that applied for a grant from the Justice Department for
the iris recognition technology. The federal agency is building a database on school security and is using
Plumsted as its first data collection.

"The unique thing about our grant is we picked a technology that no one else was doing," said Phil
Meara, assistant schools superintendent.

The technology has a wide range of applications. Officials at the Charlotte, N.C., airport recently
installed iris recognition systems to identify employees, pilots and flight attendants. And United Nations
workers have used it to keep track of Afghani refugees and prevent them from claiming more than their
share of aid packages.

Biometrics expert Paul Robertson of TruSecure Corp. in Herndon, Va., said he sees potential benefit in
the iris scanning system but questions if it's the best technology for controlling entry to schools.

He cited privacy concerns on behalf of people whose personal data is stored in the schools' system and

cautioned against overreliance on a single technology.

More than 300 parents and nearly all the district's teachers and staff volunteered for Plumsted's two-
month pilot project that began earlier this month. Pictures were taken of their eyes, and the images were
stored in a computer database.

If the iris image in the database matches that of the person seeking entry to the school, the school door
automatically unlocks. Members of the project's control group, meanwhile, must show identification and
be buzzed into the school by a staffer.

Wendy Arzt, whose two daughters attend New Egypt Elementary School, lauded the technology as
noninvasive and easy to use.

"We're fortunate to live in a small, safe town. But in this day and age, you can't take safety for granted,"
said Arzt, a substitute teacher taking part in the study.

After the study ends, the Maryland consulting firm 21st Century Solutions will evaluate whether the iris
scanning was useful in the schools and conduct surveys to determine people's attitudes about the
technology, said Craig Uchida, a researcher with the firm.

The Plumsted board of education will then make the final decision about whether to use the technology.

© 2003 The Associated Press