In an era when school safety is a much bigger issue than it once was, the question of whether Clarence High School should have student identification to enter the building has been raised repeatedly. Some think this is a good solution for increasing school safety and should have been implemented years ago, while others believe it’s stupid or will have little to no effect. 

Brendan Swain, president of the class of 2026, was tired of putting this topic on the back burner, so he made his petition.“For the past three years students and teachers have brought the student ID suggestions to the administrators and it was repeatedly struck down or simply forgotten so we decided to take matters into our own hands,” he said. The petition is currently at about four hundred and twenty signatures.

By having students scan their IDs to get into the building, you reduce the issue of non-Clarence students being in the building. Hall monitors do not know the names or faces of the hundreds of students who attend CHS, which means anyone who looks like an average high school student, gets let into the building. 

“We don’t have a requirement. The purpose of the petition is to show the unification between teachers, staff, parents, and students on this issue,” Swain wanted to make clear. Students would not be forced but encouraged to participate. Teachers wear their badges, why shouldn’t students? 

On the contrary, several people have brought up concerns about this topic. One recurring thought people have had is, what if I forget my ID? A proposed solution is you could have identification on your phone or Chromebook, which could be used as well, to scan into the building.  Also, over time it will become second nature to have your ID with you. 

Having students use their IDs to get into the school could have a positive effect on CHS’ safety, and would require little additional cost since student IDs are already provided by the school every year. The petition has not yet been passed, but it would not be a surprise if it was put into place soon.