Since they were first issued more than 20 years ago at Troy High School, student IDs have been a requirement for students to carry around. However, many students have not been made aware due to the lack of enforcement. According to a survey by The Chariot, about 65.9% of students were unaware that having student IDs in school at all times is required. Recently, with the COVID-19 pandemic receding, this guideline has been reinstated.
Senior Isabelle Urbina comments on her knowledge of this ‘new’ rule. “I was not aware of [the rule]. No teachers have ever told me that,” Urbina said. “Not only should they have made the rule more known, maybe explain why.”
Senior Maria Arwashan shares her initial reactions to this rule. “I don’t think there was much verbal communication about it, but I did notice a little bit of information about it in the new orientation packets.” She said. “It’s a simple safety rule that is even true outside the school. You have to carry around your ID and be able to be documented and identified if approached, questioned by police or any authority figures.”
Principal Remo Roncone clarifies the history of this seemingly new regulation. “That’s always been a rule, it’s just not been followed, not really enforced on a regular basis. IDs go back more than 20 years, and part of that process was you have to have it on you at all times.”
According to Roncone, before they had contact information for concerns outside of school hours including crisis support lines and chats, the student IDs had printed “Must carry at all times.”
He elaborates on situations in which students should have their student IDs. “You have to have it at a dance. If you don’t have your ID at a dance, you fill out the lost form, you slow down the cafeteria if you don’t have it, it causes issues in the media center.”
With the return of the requirement for all students to carry student IDs, Troy High School is expanding student ID usage beyond school dances, lunch lines and checking out items at the media center. Starting this 2023-24 school year, a new system has been established for checking in at the attendance office using the student IDs.
“In the morning at 7:20, when all the doors lock, you have to check in with the attendance office, and there’s been multiple Schoology messages and everything, but that system is [now] kiosk,” Roncone said. “You just scan your ID card and go. It’s a really quick process.”
Doreen Plochocki, Troy High School attendance office secretary, shares the details of this new kiosk system. “This year, we have a system where you can come in, you can scan your ID, or you can type in your student ID, and then it will print you a pass.”
According to Plochocki, at some points throughout the 2022-23 school year, there would be days where “75 to 100 kids were coming in late,” and sometimes even over 140 students.
“It was during testing time, and I couldn’t even keep up,” she says. “I just had to put a sheet over [on the table], and they would have to sign their name and the time, and that was it. I was like ‘No passes, I can’t do it. It’s too much.’ But now, [the kiosk system is] so much easier.”
On Friday, Oct. 13, Assistant Principal Kerry Brennan announced to all students via Schoology that student IDs must be presented to Safe-Ed if students were to arrive late to school, further emphasizing the importance of having student IDs at school at all times.
With the revival of the decades-old requirement of carrying student IDs at school at all times, new systems have been set in place surrounding attendance. Roncone talks about his hopes for what this requirement would do for students at Troy High School.
“Something in life you’re going to learn is that you have to have your driver’s license on you at all times, and this ID is getting you ready for the real world, so we build in things you can do at school that you can translate those, being on time, having your driver’s license, these are things that benefit you in life.” He says. “At the end of the day, we hope that more and more kids are utilizing that ID process. We’re increasing our enforcement of that to create a safer space.”
