Student I.D.s became mandatory in Conroe ISD schools as of last school year. Administration encouraged teachers to make sure their students wore their I.D. whilst in the building. If students didn’t comply, they would be sent to administration to get a temporary I.D.

This year, Conroe ISD is pushing their I.D. policy much harder than the previous school year. Schools have started implementing “I.D. Sweeps” where administrators go into every classroom and write up the students who choose not to wear their lanyards. Based on the reaction of the students within our school, the general consensus is that I.D. ‘s are unnecessary and just another responsibility for students to keep track of.

The district enacted this policy to better protect students when inside the school. The safety tags are a way to identify who is a student or who is part of the faculty at our school; those without safety tags pose a serious threat to the school since they cannot be identified as someone who should be on school grounds. That being said, the I.D. policy is not solely Conroe ISD’s idea. The I.D. ‘s are just a portion of the new law passed in the state of Texas in which schools are required to take safety precautions within the school day. In my opinion, the I.D. policy is a step in the right direction to create a safer environment in the school. I also believe, however, that there are several flaws that come with this new rule. 

First off, when students walk into school with no I.D., they are sent to the administration to get a temporary badge. What is stopping any person who shouldn’t be in the school from simply walking in? By the time an AP sends them to get a temporary I.D., they have already entered the school, completely defeating the purpose of having this rule.

Secondly, it is not uncommon for students to lose their lanyards multiple times throughout the school year. Sometimes students are not in the financial position to pay for new lanyards every time they lose them. You could argue that students should be more mindful and responsible for them, but losing your student I.D. is inevitable for most. Not to say that the I.D. policy is totally pointless, but there are arguably better ways to protect students during the school day.