“Be smart, be safe, be sure to wear your student ID.”
When students hear this at the end of the announcements every day, they might wonder when the administration will stop with these reminders – what’s the point? Most students don’t wear their IDs.
Recently teachers and administrators have brought greater awareness to wearing ID cards every day. This isn’t just some announcement every day – there’s a good reason! Students need to use their ID cards to scan into school in the morning and in order to use the bathroom throughout the day. But what prompted the need for IDs and why so urgently? Mr. Bernard shared that the biggest concern is safety.
“It’s important for us to be able to identify East Islip High School students at a glance and make sure everyone present in the building is an East Islip High School student. Of course the most important thing is the health and safety of staff and students.”
There are other districts that have experienced the problem of having to question whether students in the building go to their school, and this is not something the administration wants to happen in East Islip. As Mr. Bernard says, “It all goes back to the idea that everybody that’s here should be here and we want to make sure that’s the case for everybody’s safety.”
There are also potential ways to use the technology of the IDs in the future for some positive things such as chipping in to a school event as a way to show your attendance.
Of course the most important thing is the health and safety of staff and students.
— Mr. Bernard, High School Principal
Though these are good reasons, when it comes to being told to wear your ID cards, most students still retaliate for many reasons. Some speculate that students just won’t wear the ID because it doesn’t look good with their everyday outfit, but there’s more to it.
Harmony Rocco, a junior at EIHS, had some things to say about the ID cards which helped get other students’ points across – one of which is the old school pictures that are included on the ID. “I think we should wear [ID Cards] but our pictures should be updated, because people could be self conscious about their looks.”
Harmony isn’t alone, many other students feel that their middle school self has changed dramatically, they might not feel as confident wearing their pictures around their neck everyday.
Both sides feel strongly about what they believe, but maybe there is room to compromise in the future.
If any students have any thoughts or questions and want to get your voice across about not only Student IDs, but any other issues or problems, look out for the Google Form from your Principal Advisory Committee (PAC) representative on Student Square. Meetings are held monthly.