Eskasoni School Board Drops Facial Recognition for Teacher Attendance
The Eskasoni School Board in Nova Scotia has stopped using facial recognition technology to track teacher attendance after the union raised privacy and consent concerns.
The Eskasoni School Board in Nova Scotia has discontinued its use of facial recognition technology that was installed to track teacher attendance. 
Facial scanners were put in place during the spring, requiring educational staff to look at an electronic tablet at the beginning and end of every school day. Jonathan Cox, president of the Eskasoni Teachers' Union, said members learned via email on the first day of the current school year that the initiative was being stopped.
According to Cox, union members did not object to attendance tracking itself but raised privacy concerns about where their data was stored. They also noted a lack of informed consent regarding the biometric technology. Cox added that the union has not received many official letters of discipline regarding employees being late prior to the implementation.
Cox indicated that the removal of the technology has improved the relationship between the union and the school board.
Under the Mi'kmaq Education Act, Eskasoni's band council controls its school board, which oversees six schools. The Eskasoni School Board did not respond to CBC News requests for comment on the removal.
A spokesperson for the provincial Department of Education stated that the province is not considering biometric scanning in any of its English or French schools.