Blazer voices on new ID policies

During passing periods, countless Blair students can be seen making their way down Blair Boulevard. With backpacks on their shoulders and voices culminating in ceaseless chatter, dozens push through the crowd to get to where they need to be. But this year, students are equipped with something new: ID badges on lanyards swinging from their necks.

Shortly before the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, MCPS outlined a new policy requiring students to wear identification badges on their persons at all times while in the building. The new security measures serve as part of a larger effort that the county is taking in order to enhance the security of its schools and ensure the safety of staff and students on campus. By mandating that students have visible proof of their enrollment on them, security and staff hope to more easily identify trespassers.

The catch—a Blair student who fails to bring their ID must acquire a temporary one, which, if not returned to school the following day when the student brings their original copy, results in a two-dollar charge. If the student fully loses their ID, the charge is slightly higher to obtain a lasting new one. In the wake of the first weeks of the school year, Blazers have plenty of thoughts on these policies.

Effectiveness at enhancing safety

In the first few days of its implementation, there seemed to be widespread skepticism among students regarding how the policy would be enforced. In a school of over 3,200 students, thoroughly checking the validity of each student’s ID at the beginning of every school day without significantly slowing down normal procedures is an ambitious goal, however necessary it may be.

Sophomore Yhordani Mencho Castro shares that he hasn’t felt a change in his sense of security this year compared to his freshman year. “I kind of do feel safer in school, but at the same time, I don’t really see a difference,” he says. “It doesn’t, like, change much.”

Mencho Castro’s perspective is not a particularly unique one. Junior Sage Garcia Aviles also expresses her doubts on how effective the new measures are in protecting students from harm. “Security doesn’t really care about the IDs after you walk into school, so literally anybody can hide between layers of students and come in,” she says. “I don’t feel much safer than before.”

At least one security guard is stationed at all main entrances to Blair each morning in order to enforce the policy. While security staff members are able to identify many students without IDs before they enter the building and consequently direct them to another door to get temporary ones, some students report that they have walked in without receiving so much as a glance at their badges.

Senior Naomi Luna, however, still reports experiencing a positive change in her own sense of security at school. “I do feel more safe now,” she expresses. “On a scale of 1-10, probably an 8, because students can be identified better to prevent an emergency from happening.”

Security guards appear to be overwhelmingly in support of the recent precautions. They find that having students wear the ID badges makes it easier for them to identify who belongs in the building and who does not.

Security guard Carletta Williams, who was a student when similar ID policies were implemented in Blair in the early 2000s, is especially passionate in her conviction that the school is making the right choice. “I love it,” she says. “When I used to go to Blair, we had them, so I really don’t see an issue with wearing them. And also, for safety, as soon as I see a student, I can just say, hey, that's a Blair student, or no, that’s a trespasser. And I can react faster.”

Complications

One evident downside to the latest procedures has been increased responsibility for students and staff, who are often bogged down by other concerns as they enter the school building, to always remember to bring and display their badges.

The new ID policy has provided a share of setbacks for Mencho Castro. “Many times I had to go back home and like, I’d be late for class because I didn’t know they were doing temporary IDs,” he said. “I feel like, yeah, it’s hard to remember.”

Garcia Aviles also shares that she has faced some difficulty adhering to the new mandate. “Sometimes, if you’re too tired to remember to put it in your backpack or just to bring it, like, it gets tiring when you have to go to the office and then ask for ID,” she says. “And then, if you forget it again, they can charge you for an ID again.”

Given that students are often somewhat weary and forgetful in the early hours of the day, it is no surprise that there is usually a considerable line in the cafeteria for those in need of temporary IDs, raising the question of whether the cost of time, effort, and money spent is worth the potential gains.

Getting used to change

As the school year has finally taken off, however, what was once uncharted territory for many has started to become routine.

Williams has seen how students have been responding to the change firsthand. “Some students are unhappy about it right now because change is not always accepted,” she states. “It’s new for people. So sometimes, when things are new, it’s kind of like, ‘what is that?’ you know? But gradually, everybody’s just gonna get used to it, and it’ll be a thing of the past.”

Her high hopes for the future of ID badges seem to be substantiated. Luna compares her initial reaction to the new policy to her current views. “Honestly, at first, I didn’t like the idea,” she says. “But then, I heard the security’s opinion, and, like, I kind of agree with it.”

Her change in opinion could reflect a larger trend among the student population at Blair, as at the beginning, Mencho Castro also had mixed feelings. “I didn’t really like it when I first heard of it,” he says. “But then I got used to it, so it doesn’t really matter to me anymore.”

As the school year presses on, the ID policies remain an integrated facet of life at Blair, striving, though Blazers present a range of opinions on how well they are succeeding, to make sure that school is a safer and more secure environment for all those attending.