A new policy at Theodore Roosevelt High School was introduced at the beginning of second semester, requiring students to show their student ID to get into the building. While in theory this may be a step toward improved safety measures following the Perry High School shooting, many students believe that it holds little effect on the outcome of their lives at school.
“People are still getting in the building even without an ID and this isn’t their first time trying to implement this policy either. The last time they did the admins stopped checking and didn’t care,” An anonymous student said. Many students are frustrated by this policy, specifically about the implementation of it and how it negatively affects students. People believe that this may just be a performative action by the school, and won’t actually help to prevent school shootings-as stated by the student. Many times it seems like the front office does not actually check to see if you have an ID.
Aside from concerns about the effectiveness of the policy, many people said that it mainly inconvenienced them, like being sent home if they forget their ID, making them late for classes and affecting their attendance.
Sampling of responses by students below:
“Before the ID policy was put in place, I was always afraid of a school shooting happening at Roosevelt. Now that the ID policy is in place, I am still afraid of a school shooting happening at Roosevelt, just now I have to be late to first period every day.”
“IDs solve nothing. Anyone can make a really good fake ID. I’ve even seen people get in with IDs of people who aren’t even the same skin color as them… I don’t think a kid who forgets an ID getting in the school will harm anyone. But I do think that when they start sending people home for not having IDs, that will harm the education of those kids,”
“This regulation does not do anything to solve any issues on tracking who is coming in or keeping safety. The IDs aren’t even tracked and are barely flashed to the admins, so they don’t really verify its validity. Students have easily been able to use drivers licenses or other IDs, Clearly revealing the ineffectiveness of the regulation. This regulation is just being applied so that the school can act like “they’re trying to do something” when in reality they aren’t. Please actually place an effective solution that will actually keep your students safe. The judgement and passive aggression that staff have on students for merely not carrying an ID is very pointless. All students are trying to do is go to school and get an education, but are turned around for not having an ID. Allow students to learn, go to class on time, and not waste their time with an ineffective solution. The fact that only one admin is checking IDs is also very inefficient. A threat is most likely to come from inside the school than outside.”
For the results of the survey, refer to the graphic.
