Students and Identification

For those of you that have been around for a while, you're probably well aware that we have been requiring students to wear ID badges. That policy has now been in effect for almost three full years, and it periodically gets revisited.

Last June, the policy was discussed in earnest because North H.S. staff was considering whether to drop their policy. One of their primary reasons was that their school now used a single entrance for all student traffic with an adult presence at that entrance. Of course, we don't have that luxury with our cramped parking lots and multiple entrances.

Anyway, when it was discussed with staff last June, there was resounding support to keep our current policy. While no formal vote was taken, my guess is that about 84 of 90 staff members in attendance voted to keep the policy.

As you know, we recently surveyed all of our stakeholders about a variety of issues. One survey was dedicated just to students, and one of the more notable results from the student survey was that they wanted to end the ID policy. It was a predictable response, but notable nonetheless.

Just recently, we held a staff meeting to discuss the results of the student survey, and we took time to discuss the strong student response to the current ID policy. After much discussion on both sides of the issue, we decided to put the matter to an anonymous vote of the staff.

Everyone was asked to vote "yea" or "nay" to the current policy as we go forward. To my surprise, the results were pretty dramatic. 82 members of our staff voted to keep the policy as it stands, while 26 supported a change. That means that we still have 76% of our staff that believes we can better manage students if they wear an ID badge. So we will continue with current policy.

I realize this is not the response students were seeking from the staff. I also realize most of them would rather not be responsible for turning in homework, or reporting to class on time. A few years ago, the major complaint was that students could no longer wear hats in class.

In any large organization, it's important for someone to exhibit the willingness to make tough decisions for the betterment of all. I believe that is what our staff just did...even though it's a hassle to enforce the policy, it provides for a more secure environment. And students learn better in a secure environment.