Right, because this issue cannot be solved with, IDK, magnetic cards? Or smartcards, or literally any other tech? If your children are getting bullied for lunches, the solution isn't to resort to biometrics. It's to investigate rumours, take victims seriously, and kick the offenders out of the bloody school after their third violence offense.
I have been bullied at school, and schools are frankly full of crappy ideas about how to minimise bullying. Back when I was being bullied, the most helpful thing by far that the school could've done, is to remove the source of my anxiety and fear. You wouldn't tolerate physical or verbal abuse in a workplace, you would've called the boss or the cops. And those cops wouldn't just walk away, they would tell the other party to stop or they would take them away in handcuffs.
I don't see anything wrong with this particular instance of facial recognition. Schools already have your picture (student ID card, yearbook, etc.), and they already know whether you're there any given day, since teachers take attendance. What privacy exactly is this violating?
I have been bullied at school, and schools are frankly full of crappy ideas about how to minimise bullying. Back when I was being bullied, the most helpful thing by far that the school could've done, is to remove the source of my anxiety and fear. You wouldn't tolerate physical or verbal abuse in a workplace, you would've called the boss or the cops. And those cops wouldn't just walk away, they would tell the other party to stop or they would take them away in handcuffs.