By: Faith Nickens

The 2018-2019 school year has brought big changes to Truman High School. This includes  having to wear your ID badge when going to the restroom, the office or leaving class in general. This change had been considered at Truman before the 2018-2019 school year, but never has it been so vastly implemented. A few interviews were conducted with students to get their opinions.

“I get where they’re coming from, but personally I think it’s sort of ridiculous,” says senior, Emily Cogswell, “Yes, it’s a positive change because it’s helpful to identify people, but no, because no one wants to carry an ID to use the bathroom.”

The overall reception of this new policy has been the same. Most students have commented saying the new policy is a bit too forceful and heavy handed for students to get behind. This has been leading to a natural push against it.

When asked if this new policy will help promote student safety, Jaydon Dickinson, of the junior class, said, “Yeah, in the long run, but for now it just seems excessive.” He agrees that this could be a positive addition to daily student life at Truman, however the feedback and reaction to this new rule is negative.

Mostly all of them, however, don’t believe this change will promote student safety. One student commented that wearing a piece of plastic around your neck won’t keep you safe. Another just believes there isn’t a safety problem here at Truman at all. According to an online article by Parenting.com, 1 in every 3 children don’t feel safe at school. So while this push by the administration could be seen as a move for safety, is enough being done?

However, a minority of students believe that this new policy may be a good thing after all, as long as there is across the board enforcement. Chassidy Hickman, a freshman, said “while the ID enforcement is a good idea, teachers don’t often check for IDs when students come and go.” Dickinson says, “this change could probably help identify potential intruders and people who shouldn’t be on campus, if it is executed properly.”

Overall, this new policy has student’s scratching their heads. Does making a student carry their ID to use the restroom improve safety? Is this a conscious effort to try and prevent a tragedy from happening on the grounds of Truman High School? Perhaps. But whether it is loved or hated, this new policy doesn’t seem like it will go anywhere. And unfortunately, students will have to wear a photo ID to relieve themselves.