School officials expect lunch lines to move faster

Washington’s high school students will no longer have to show their IDs to pay for lunch.

Nor will they have to pay cash.

Last year, Washington Community High School switched over to the Skyward computer system, which officials said was a more user friendly program.

Along with allowing parents access to their students’ academic records and class performance online, it has the capability of tracking student purchases in the commons through biometrics.

However, administrators opted not to utilize the biometric finger scan program until this year.

Dean of students Todd Hellrigel said when the school first switched over to Skyward the cafeteria was not part of the system.

After a full year of using Skyward to keep track of student attendance and grades, the school purchased the biometric component.

When students went through registration last week, part of the process was to take a three-point scan of both index fingers.

Both administrators emphasized it was not a fingerprint because it measures bone structure and is only a three-point scan and more points of reference are needed for a full fingerprint.

In the past, the school would require students to scan their school ID cards to pay for lunch out of their lunch accounts or pay cash.

Parents wanting to put money into a lunch account would have to either send a check or cash to school with the student.

Now, parents can still put money into a lunch account, but they have one more option, Hellrigel said.

Parents can now log on Skyward and use a credit card to put money in their student’s account.

Also, if parents want to see what their student is eating at breakfast or lunch, they can track it through Skyward, Dunnan said.

Each household is given a parental password to log into the program via the high school’s Web site, www.wacohi.net.

Through the program, parents can track class assignments, tests and attendance, in addition to lunchtime eating habits, Hellrigel said.

Two big reasons, Dunnan said, that the school decided to switch to a finger scan is more accurate record keeping and efficiency.

“It should speed up the lines,” he said, adding there are about 1,200 students going through the three lunch periods.

Although the scan does not use an actual fingerprint, Dunnan said he recognizes that some parents and students may not want to use the new system.

“It’s a choice,” he said, adding the school will keep one of the lines for cash only.

Hellrigel said Washington talked to other schools who used Skyward and the finger scans before switching to the new system.

East Peoria Community High School used the biometric scan last year, superintendent Cliff Cobert said.

However, because the program was still new, school officials at EPCHS experienced some difficulty with the system and software, creating line delays.

However, Cobert said they are looking at new software for possible use next year.

Other benefits, according to a memo to the school board from food service director Pam Madden and technology director Mary Ann Nannen, is it makes free and reduced lunch students

indistinguishable from other students.

The system will also display any alerts or messages regarding special dietary information.