Inside the ID policy

This year's revised ID policy sparked three controversies: first, over the stricter punishments for forgetting or refusing to wear an ID; second, about the color-coding that many students feel reinforces self-segregation; and third, a renewal of the perennial questions of the IDs' effectiveness as a security measure.

The debates have been fueled by a communications disconnect between the administration, students and parents. In response, Blair administrators and the SGA implemented a series of measures to bridge a communication gap between the administration and students.

The SGA hosted a question-and-answer session for freshmen with Principal Phillip Gainous regarding the ID policy on Oct. 17. That same night, Gainous spoke at a PTSA meeting organized to address the policy. Both meetings provided an open forum for discussion, giving parents and students the opportunity to voice their concerns regarding the ID policy on Oct. 17. That same night, Gainous spoke at a PTSA meeting to address the policy.

At the PTSA meeting, a new handout was distributed to clarify misconceptions about the revised ID policy. This more in-depth written version explains that there are disciplinary consequences only after a student forgets his or her ID twice, allowing students two warnings and two temporary IDs per quarter without any repercussions. Security will issue a verbal warning and a temporary ID for the third offense and a final verbal warning and a fourth temporary ID, accompanied by a Robo-dial warning, for the fourth offense. For a fifth offense, administrators will hold a telephone conference with the student's parent. Students who forget their IDs for the sixth time will be required to attend after-school detention; the seventh offense prompts a suspension. This cycle resets every quarter.

Gainous believes that this new policy is better than last year's. Previously, students would have been subjected to all of these punishments unofficially and, in addition, would have owed the school $35 by the seventh offense. "We tried to take the burden of the money off students," Gainous said in the question-and-answer session.

As for the consequences of refusing to wear an ID, Gainous also emphasized that students will get Saturday detention or a one-day suspension only if they are insubordinate. "The disciplinary policy is only for people who do the extreme, not for kids who forget it occasionally," Gainous said.

Color clash

The plan to color-code IDs and separate students into their academies has also caused a backlash within the Blair community. "A lot of students don't appreciate and accept it because it segregates a school that embraces its diversity," said senior Reeves Manikat.

SGA President Eric Hysen explained that the problem stemmed from poor communication, since students were given IDs and a written policy but no explanation of what it meant. "I really think that if students understood the reasons behind the policy, we wouldn't have had the problems we have now," he said.

Hysen believes that part of the uproar comes from the novelty of the color-coded IDs, and that student objection to the issue will subside. "As the academies become more part of life at Blair, students will begin to see it as a part of the bigger system and not just as one big divisive thing," he said.

Security first

One of the main reasons the administration decided to revise the old ID policy was to readdress security concerns. But after five weeks without IDs at the beginning of the current school year proceeded without incident, students and parents have begun to question the efficacy and practicality of IDs.

This concern has been an enduring complaint against the unpopular ID policy since its inception with the opening of the new Blair building in 1998, but students had eventually become resigned to the policy's permanence. The ID policy's overhaul this year rekindled the tired issue.

At the PTSA meeting, security guard Cedric Boatman addressed these questions, saying that although IDs do not stop intruders from entering the building, they help the security team to identify who is a member of Blair's population. Citing gang feuds and custody battles, Boatman said, "What happens in the world outside comes in the school, and what happens in school goes outside. We know right away if you don't have an ID, you don't belong here, so we stop [you]."

Policymakers have likened the ID policy to a seat belt, providing security in the case of an emergency. "A majority of the time you can drive without a seatbelt, and a majority of time in the school, everything will be fine," said Hysen. "You can even get into a crash, and sometimes it won't help, and you'll still get hurt. But at the same time, it can prevent something from happening."

SGA matters

The SGA is partially responsible for the efforts to improve communication between the school community and school officials, playing an instrumental role in both crafting the policy and clarifying misconceptions about the rules. Under Hysen's leadership, the SGA has taken an unprecedented proactive role in policymaking.

The SGA has tried to incorporate student input into the ID policy, said Hysen. While Hysen is optimistic about the policy, he says that there are still several aspects of the policy that SGA would like to address.

After the administration refused to remove the policy's disciplinary component, the SGA negotiated a change that allows students to buy replacement IDs at the concession stand before 7:25 a.m. and during lunch, which they believe will help to reduce the number of punishments.

The SGA also convinced administrators to give students Saturday detention instead of a one-day suspension for the first offense of insubordination and established the recording cycle that resets every quarter, according to Hysen.

The controversy over color-coded IDs and the severity of punishments has garnered such wide attention throughout the community that on Oct. 18, The Washington Post's Metro section featured a story on Blair's new ID policy entitled "School Colors." The story included a graphical breakdown of the colored IDs by academy, featured comments made by Blazers on a series of Silver Chips Online articles and quoted a Silver Chips editorial. The article can be found at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/17/AR2006101701478.html.
That afternoon, reporters from several television stations, including ABC, NBC and CBS, and the Associated Press, arrived at Blair to interview Gainous, Hysen and several students.
The Washington Post ran an editorial on Oct. 19 condemning the administration's decision to segregate students by academy. The article can be found at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/18/AR2006101801749.html.