The Montgomery County Board of Education implemented a new policy requiring students and staff to display IDs at all times, Nov. 6. The change has sparked mixed reactions at Whitman. While the policy aims to address growing safety concerns, some students have criticized its practicality and enforcement.

In 2023, MCPS reported more than 4,000 serious incidents in schools, including weapons, bomb threats, and drug-related cases. Whitman experienced two bomb threats in May and June of 2024, forcing evacuations less than a month apart.  

Administrators said the policy will improve security, especially following recent threats. Assistant Principal Kristi McAleese acknowledged the adjustment period for students but said she is confident that wearing IDs will become routine. 

“I know the students aren’t quite loving it yet,” McAleese said. “I think we’ll get there, it just needs to become a habit.”

School staff check IDs when students enter the building in the morning and after lunch. Junior Maya Fritts doubts whether administrators can effectively enforce IDs throughout the day, especially during high-traffic periods.

“I feel like the new ID policy will be beneficial to the safety of our students and staff, but I think it’s unrealistic for every single ID to be checked daily, especially when students return from lunch,” Fritts said. 

Administrators have offered incentives such as restaurant gift cards to students who correctly wear their IDs to encourage compliance. 

Freshman Ella Kanczuker said the new procedures slow down daily routines and make students late to class.  

“I don’t think the ID policy is necessary for Whitman because it may be good to have it on, but nobody is actually wearing them,” Kanczuker said. “It’s not convenient when it creates a long line in the mornings to get into the building.”

Students who lose or forget their IDs must obtain temporary ones from the office. Each temporary ID costs five dollars, charged through School Cash Online, adding another layer of frustration for some students. 

Sophomore Jake Finkel said the lanyards are inconvenient and questioned their impact on the school.

 “I think the new ID policy has good intentions, but it’s a little annoying to students, and the IDs are not beneficial as not all students wear the lanyard,” Finkel said. “I don’t think that the IDs will be a long-term policy as less people will wear them, and I think teachers and administrators will stop enforcing its use.”