Parents Fear Palm Scanning in School Could Start 'Mark of the Devil'

By Sami K. Martin, Christian Post Reporter Friday, August 17, 2012

Palm scanning could be coming to Moss Bluff Elementary School if Principal Charles Caldarera gets his way. Some parents, though, are not happy with the decision and cite religious beliefs as the reason for their opposition and wanting to exclude their children from the process.

"I was very, very mad," mother Mamie Sonnier told KPLC News, upon learning of the school's decision to fast-track the lunch process. With nearly 1,000 students eating at one time, principal Charles Caldarera has looked for ways to speed up the process and allow students more time to enjoy their break.

"We are so large," he explained. "With an elementary school, they all come through line and most of them eat here. It would make us more efficient and more accurate. We've had parents complain in the past, because they felt like their children weren't eating, that we assigned them a charge for the day, and they might have been right."

Now Caldarera is being met with opposition to the latest process he has found: palm scanning. A new device would scan the students' palms in order to determine their identification, instead of paying or swiping a card during the lunch hour. It would be much more accurate and prompt, but some parents are not convinced it is the right decision for their children.

"As a Christian, I've read the Bible … you know, go to church and stuff," explained Sonnier. "I know where it's going to end up coming to, the mark of the beast. I'm not going to let my kids have that."

The Bible warns of the anti-Christ, which bears the mark "666" on its body. Many people feel that the palm scanner would somehow implant that mark or somehow lead their children down a demonic path to hell.

"I'd probably pull them out of the school and transfer them to another school," Sonnier said when asked what she will do if the school persists with the program.

"I think a lot of this has to do with religious beliefs," Caldarera noted. "I think some people feel it's something with the Bible, mark of the beast. It's technology that is used throughout our lives. Everywhere."

For parents such as Sonnier, the decision to leave her children in school or remove them from the program may come sooner rather than later. The school has said it will implement the program as soon as possible.