As you have most likely noticed, many students haven’t been wearing their IDs. Even I am guilty of forgetting it at home or leaving it in my backpack. But in the past 10 years, threats and violence towards schools have become increasingly prevalent. In 2018, there were 24 school shootings, and so far in 2019, there have been 22. These tragedies have pushed countless administrations across the country to raise security in schools through the implementation of policies that attempt to inhibit possible dangers to schools. This is where Student IDs come in. IDs are supposed to be an effective addition to campuses, as they create a more secure and comfortable environment for students.

I can’t lie and say that my ID always manages to complete my daily outfit, but this does not change the fact that they are still very reliable safety precautions. Within each ID there is data on the person which includes their name, grade, and student identification number. This helps to create clear and efficient identification that points out who belongs on campus, and who does not. Out of all the different forms of safety, like bomb-and-drug-sniffing dogs and proposed transparent backpacks, IDs seem to be an extremely easy solution. We should consider ourselves lucky that we do not have to deal with metal detectors or armed guards roaming our halls.

IDs are implemented into many schools around the United States because of how much security they are capable of offering. These little pieces of plastic are extremely useful for teachers and students because of how much it tells faculty and staff. If an intruder comes into the school and everyone is wearing their ID, teachers will be able to easily identify them. In that same vein, this helps keep intruders from even being able to enter the school during the day, because they are checked at the door. We’ve already seen what happened to the people who forgot their ID during the evacuation drills. By choosing to not wear our IDs, we are inviting danger into our schools. We make our schools less safe by not wearing them, and with the new school year and the incoming class of 2023, these IDs have become a considerably larger aspect of security at LASA.

This is not to say that IDs are perfect. They have their problems. For one, they can’t unlock the doors, but it’s inevitable that if everyone had these cards, somebody would lose theirs. If a student ever managed to lose a key card capable of opening doors, then a person who does not belong on campus could come into our school. Further, if IDs do not have other applications it can be burdensome to students to carry them around. If we can’t use our IDs for things like buying lunch or taking attendance, then there is no incentive for students to bring them to school. However, this could be an expensive expenditure that our schools do not yet possess the capability to undergo.

I feel like a more responsible student for wearing an ID and having to keep track of it. While it remains unlikely that students will wear IDs, this may change if teachers can not keep finding better ways to enforce this. If the administration can come up with more effective punishments or incentives, then students would start to wear their IDs to schools. Wearing a plastic rectangle attached to a small lanyard is a very small price to pay to make the school safer.