Slight Update to Student ID Policy

Last year, the rule that all students at Central were expected to wear their student IDs on lanyards at all times while in the building took effect. This rule had been required of staff and visitors for years, but was put into place for students as an extra precaution of security.

The Central HS Update email, sent by Principal Williams on September 13, reiterated that policy. The email also stated that if students were not wearing their ID, they would be sent to ILC to get a new one.

“This policy took place last year in response to students entering buildings on Unit 4 campuses where they weren’t actually students,” said Bryan Yacko, the assistant principal. “It allows students and staff to immediately recognize who is a student in our building.”

Joe Williams, principal of Central High School, similarly stated, “We’ve had incidents of non-Central students in our building, so we want to prevent that as best we can.”

Williams also stated how this policy puts student IDs to use in a good way. “In the past, students would be given their IDs at the beginning of the year, and then never use them, never carry them,” he said.

This policy is often overlooked, and there are mixed feelings about it. Sophomore Chloe Flynn said, “I think needing to wear your ID to enter the building is a good idea for security reasons, but having to wear it all the time is a little too drastic. If you’ve already gotten into the building, I don’t understand why you would need to wear it for the rest of the day.”

Because there are so many students entering the building and walking in the hallways at a time, it can be hard to make sure everyone is wearing their ID all the time. Williams admitted that even though the policy is often overlooked, not much can be done about it right now. “Right now we are just going with what is the rule,” he stated. “Hopefully in the future we will have a system set up where students can actually scan their ID to get in the building, just like staff do, but right now we are just doing the best we can with that rule.”

“For the first couple days after they reiterated that rule, almost everyone I saw was wearing their ID,” Flynn said. “But as the next couple weeks went on, it just sort of went back to the way it was before.”

It is unsure how the future will look in terms of the student ID rule, or how much it will change from here on out. “I’m hoping that the IDs will at least become a habit for more students,” Williams said. “Just as it was with masks last year, remember to take your ID out and put it around your neck before going into the hallway.”

Although this policy is still in need of updates for the future, it has been a step towards more safety and security. Not all students wear their IDs while in the building, but there are many that do. “It has overall made it easier to identify students as Central students around the building,” Yacko said.