Nagel’s Opinion on ID’s

Story by Madison Nagel, Reporter

STOP! Before you read this, are you wearing your ID?

A new policy regarding student IDs was implemented at the beginning of the school year, and so far it has proven to fall short of its intended purpose.

In years past, we have received a school ID, which served as a library card. The new protocol ensured that all students wore the ID on a daily basis.

According to the Pittsburg High School (PHS) handbook, “Students and staff members at PHS are required to wear their identification badges when deemed necessary. Disciplinary action may occur if proper identification is not visible.”

Though the wording of the policy is vague in the handbook, it was made clear that IDs must be worn visibly on the student, not in their backpack or on a purse.

It is my understanding that the goal of IDs was that if there were to be an emergency, students and faculty could be identified.

While many teachers did not strictly enforce the policy, there was one who did — French teacher Chris Colyer.

Colyer was denounced by many people for standing firmly with the protocol throughout the hallways.

After being called names by students, she stopped enforcing the policy.

A handful of my teachers used to take time away from the instructional period to check for IDs. However, this has ceased to happen for months, and I cannot say I blame them for stopping. They need backing from one another and administration in order to be successful in carrying through with the policy.

Looking through the halls of PHS now, most students will not be wearing any ID — and many of those who are wearing an ID may not even be manifesting their own name and picture.

After noticing enforcement being lifted, I began my own experiments.

First, I wore the activity pass of someone of the opposite gender as my ID last semester. Two teachers noticed — one laughed and the other asked me to change it.

I went back to my own ID for a few weeks, then I continued with my experiment.

Since then, no teachers or administration have noticed.

One day, I randomly chose two of my classes. I simply looked around the room and counted how many students were wearing their IDs. Out of 30 students total, only three were wearing their ID.

Administration needs to take this new rule seriously and follow through if they expect the students to comply.

The IDs serve no day-to-day purpose, but rather satisfy the theoretical cause if an emergency happens; and I believe this is why many students stopped wearing them.

The rebellions against IDs continued after teachers and administration stopped checking for IDs and overall, the protocol has increasingly become lax as the year has progressed.

If the IDs could be used for attendance, to pay for lunch or any daily purpose at all, I believe that students would be more apt to wear them.

When they stop enforcing the rules, we stop following the rules.