Rundown on Student ID Lanyard Policy
Originally published on December 21, 2017.
By Luda Isakharov & Ryan Smith
By February 1st, as part of a pilot program for the Hillsboro School District, wearing a student ID lanyard on Glencoe’s campus grounds will be mandatory.
After the December 4th lockout, Principal Claudia Ruf and the rest of administration sat down with Hillsboro Police Chief Alex Oh and School Resource Officer Rios at the district office to debrief the situation.
“We had folks in the building who didn’t belong, and no way to recognize them,” said Principal Ruf. “That’s scary.”
Eager for new safety measures, Principal Ruf agreed to pilot a District program that had been in the works for a while: requiring students to wear their school IDs on a lanyard at all times while on school grounds.
“When the pilot program was brought to us,” Principal Ruf said, “it just seemed like the right timing. We can do something good for our community and district while making our school a safer place.”
According to Principal Ruf, the execution of this new policy will be “very cheap.” She says the ID cards and lanyards cost almost nothing — “literally cents.” All in all, the whole affair is projected to cost around $1,000 per year. Half the expense will be covered by HSD’s safety facilities, and the rest will be taken out of the Glencoe administrative budget.
When it comes to eventual repercussions for students not wearing their ID, Principal Ruf says, “I don’t like the word ‘punishments.’ It shouldn’t be considered a punishment if it’s part of what you get used to.” Principal Ruf further explains that in cases of disobedience, she will start out by “just having that conversation with students and explaining [the reason behind the policy] — and then taking it from there.”
Many false rumors and interpretations of this policy have been floating around, due in part to little communication regarding the specifics of what this policy will entail. Not surprisingly, reactions of students have been mixed. Senior Peter Wedlake says, “I don’t think there is an efficient way to administer [the new policy], and I strongly believe that as we get older, we should be vested with more responsibilities and trust. To me, this is a step backward.”
The week students get back from winter break, Principal Ruf explained, lanyards will be distributed, and students who have lost their IDs will get new ones printed — free of charge. By February 1st, the policy will be in full force.
“It’s not because I want to be this horrible person, and make you feel like you’re in an institution,” Principal Ruf adds. “It’s about making sure that we can keep you safe.”
