School Distributes Student IDs, Emphasizes School Safety

Schools all across the United States are becoming more and more vigilant with their security measures as of late.

For Cambridge, this means using student IDs.

The student ID policy was implemented last year as a safety measure for the school. The same policy will continue into the 2019-2020 school year.

IDs have already been deployed for the 2019-2020 school year, and students who have not yet received their IDs can now pick them up in the front office.

Although there will be no consequences for students who don’t wear IDs, it is expected students will wear them.

“We don’t let outsiders come in the building without a visitor pass, students shouldn’t be in the building without a student ID,” said law and public safety teacher Thomas Washburn.

Freshmen and new students will be given a school-issued ID in addition to a lanyard this year. As for students who attended the school last year, they will be issued an ID, but will not be provided with a lanyard as they are expected to use the one they received last year.

However, students who do not wish to wear the Cambridge lanyard are allowed to wear any lanyard they would like.

“The ID is the thing that we are looking for,” said Assistant Principal Shavanda Toomer.

By being able to take a quick glance and identify the student, it provides staff with an easy way to identify intruders.

“It’s just like a driver’s license, your school ID is your license to be at Cambridge,” said Toomer Student IDs were put in place to keep students safe and “To identify people who belong and those who do not belong,” said Toomer.

However, student Luke Mason believes that students should only be required to have their IDs with them, not necessarily around their necks.

“I think they need to compromise like hanging it out of your bookbag or your pocket,” said Mason.

Cambridge is not the first school to use an ID policy. In fact, student IDs have been used in schools for a substantial amount of time.

“The idea is new to us, it’s not new to education,” said Washburn.

However, schools are not the only places where ID policies have been implemented either. In almost every workplace, employees are expected to wear some form of identification.

“When you go to work, that’s standard,” said Washburn.

“There has to be consequences or human behavior doesn’t change.”

He believes that students without an ID should not be allowed in the building and should wait in the front office until they have their ID around their neck.

It all boils down to being able to identify who is supposed to be in the building.

Washburn spoke on one particular incident in which a gunman brought a firearm to a different North Fulton school with the intent to kill a student. Luckily, the man left without harming anyone.

“Nobody knew he wasn’t supposed to be there because no lanyards, no IDs,” said Washburn.

School IDs are not only meant to bring more safety to the school but to allow students to take an active role in their safety.