The recent enforcement of the ID card policy sets up new guidelines for students, sometimes at their inconvenience

By Tony Tan
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Last semester, the administration announced it would begin to more strictly enforce an ID card policy that had already been part of the student rules and expectations outlined in the Pathways guidebook  restricting students to carry their ID with them at all times, presenting it should a staff member ask for identification.

This started with ID checks during three consecutive SRTs this month. Now that a few checks have been conducted, according to Assistant Principal John Newton, the administration has begun to look at appropriate punishments for students who don’t have identification.

“We’re going to see how it works for several weeks here, and then if you don’t have (your ID), (the administration) will look at some sort of a punishment,” Newton said.

According to Newton, this policy is not new; the administration is merely trying to enforce the policy more rigorously due to several incidents.

“It has always been there, we’re just going to try to enforce the policy,” Newton said. “We think the reason that we’re doing that, bringing some attention to the ID situation, is because we have had kids tear up their IDs, to scratch out their faces and we’ve had kids that use other people’s ID cards to buy lunches. We think it’s time now that we look into the ID cards and make sure everybody has one. We just want to know who’s who.”

According to Newton, the ID checks during SRT are not over, and the administration will probably conduct more ID checks throughout the semester.

“The first set of checks have happened. It won’t do us any good unless we check every now and then because people will stop bringing them. We don’t want you to bring it just for a couple of weeks; we want you to have it all the time,” Newton said.

Newton also said the administration has not yet decided on the exact punishment that it plans to dole out to students who still do not have their ID cards after they were given appropriate opportunities to do so.

“(The punishment) would fall under the category of failure to comply to a reasonable request,” Newton said. “So we haven’t decided, but I think it might be that we give you a chance to get it, and if you don’t get it the next day or two, then we’re going to give you a detention or community service. Something not so bad.”

During the school-wide ID check on Jan. 6. senior Sarah Rothenberg was among those who had a conflict. Rothenberg said she disagreed with some of the potential punishments given to those violating the ID card policy.

“I feel like detention is really harsh of a punishment because sometimes you’re in a hurry and you forget your ID or you forget your ID at home,” Rothenberg said. “If it gets too out of hand, like a person is constantly forgetting their ID, maybe a talk with the dean or something like that (would be an appropriate punishment), but not like a full-out detention.”

Rothenberg said she thought that if people were misusing ID cards at lunch, then a solution would be just to have students’ IDs checked at lunch.

“I understand where they’re coming from with the policy, but I don’t think we should have to carry it around with us, because why else would a student be here if they’re not a part of Carmel High School?” Rothenberg said.

Also among those who said they have encountered inconveniences arising from the new enforcement of the policy was junior Roy Chen.

“I didn’t have my ID card, so they wouldn’t let me go in (the lunch) line,” Chen said. “And then, I was going to get a new ID card because I had $5 to buy a new ID card. And then, I tried to walk out of the cafeteria (to buy a new ID card) but they wouldn’t let me. In the end, I had to use my $5 to buy lunch because they wouldn’t let me out to buy an ID. And then, I had to go home and search through my spare change for two more dollars to replace the two that I had spent on lunch, and then I used that money to buy an ID. It was just (a hassle).”

In general, Rothenberg said some components of the policy were unnecessary.

“I saw no point in buying a new ID when I have one from recent years and I only use my ID to check out library books and to go to lunch, and it still worked the same, so I thought (buying a new ID) was a waste of my money having to go back.” Rothenberg said.

Chen said he also agrees with Rothenberg in that the policy creates inconveniences.

“Right now,” he said, “I just don’t like the fact that right now the way they have it is like a few people’s misdoing goes to everybody.”