(Newser)
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Roll-calls are so 20th century. A cutting-edge Florida district is scanning students' fingerprints as a way of taking attendance, Popular Science reports. And the schools are getting even more careful: While the scanning systems are currently in school buildings, some will soon be moved to buses, allowing the district to monitor kids as soon as they leave home in the morning. Parents who aren't fans of the system—which costs some $30 per student each year—can opt out.
"When it's all said and done, we're going to find that this is going to be one of the most monumental things that Washington County has ever done," the schools' superintendent tells WJHG.
