Student IDs
October 18, 2021
Every school is different, and GMC is about as different as they come. We started out in portables before getting a building, and just last year we finally got our gym.
However, there is one major thing that sets GMC apart from many other schools, and it isn’t something to be glorified: our security system.
We do have a resource officer here at GMC, but in dire situations, just one person will never be enough. To ensure the safety of our staff and students, GMC needs to start requiring student IDs.
Student IDs are a great way to easily identify students. A small badge with a name, picture, and grade on it can be a simple and convenient way to discern who is who – and when emergencies happen, such as an unknown student needing medical care or in the unimaginable case of a school shooting, needing to know a student’s identity is extremely important.
Being able to identify a student isn’t only important in emergencies, though. I’ll say it outright: too many problems are going unsolved in GMC. Students are vaping in bathrooms, meeting up outside of class, and even now we have students who are too ignorant to use a toilet instead of the floor. If we had student IDs, these students might be caught much more easily.
Not only can IDs identify students, but they can identify non-students as well. Thankfully, we haven’t had any cases of non-students attending school here, but it has happened in several schools in the U.S.
We have had a non-student (who wasn’t a volunteer or parent) come onto campus, though. Last year, after the gym was built, some of my friends and I were sitting in the breezeway when someone who looked to be in his late 20s walked up to the gate in a bright, almost neon blue shirt and khakis and asked us about the bell schedule.
Although he was clearly not a student, not all non-students can be so easily identified, especially when they can easily mimic our dress code. A student ID can help set those people apart.
Patty Baucom, a GMC parent who was on the Board of Directors in past years and is currently on the Parents in Partnership Board, agrees that student IDs would be beneficial to GMC.
“We have a very open campus here,” she says. “People can just come and go.”
Mrs. Baucom believes that student IDs can be a great step in increasing our school security, especially during emergencies.
Some students may disagree and say student IDs are unnecessary or a hassle – and that’s understandable. If you lose it, you would probably have to pay for it and face some punishment.
However, we can’t ignore the increasing danger that schools face. Just two weeks ago, Riverside High almost had a school shooting. There are countless other things that can happen inside schools. How can we be sure that we don’t face the same danger?
The truth is just that we can’t. Paying a couple bucks and setting reminders on your phone to make sure you don’t forget your ID are small prices to pay for better safety.
Student IDs would strengthen our security in multiple ways. It’s about time for GMC to consider implementing them.
