Dist. 220 discussing requiring students to wear IDs on campus

Barrington Area Unit District 220 officials are discussing the idea of requiring all high school students to wear identification badges during the academic day as a potential way of boosting security.

Superintendent Brian Harris sparked chatter on the concept at a school board meeting this week where he reported on a conversation with officials during an advisory safety and security committee session. District 220 school board members would need to receive a formal proposal for any action to occur.

"It is becoming more common," Harris said. "And especially as the safety and security piece starts to escalate, our first responders were very much in favor of it."

Roughly 3,000 students attend Barrington High School, where all employees wear IDs in lanyards around their necks. Students have IDs that they produce when needed, such as when swiping the cards over a building attendant's tablet when coming and going from the school.

District 220 is embarking on technology upgrades, which Harris said means new, wearable high school IDs for the next academic year could have uses beyond getting into the building.

"It's becoming more redundant, to be able to have this tag with a code on it and be able to swipe for lunch, swipe in the library, swipe on and off the bus," he said.

Officials at Northwest Suburban High School District 214 and Lake Zurich Unit District 95 said their students need to possess their IDs on campus and show them when necessary but are not required to constantly have identification hanging from their necks.

District 220 board member Joseph Ruffolo said there could be a "negative stigma" among students in the beginning if they are required to wear their IDs.

"It's like anything else," Ruffolo said. "Once it becomes a more normal scenario, I don't think it really becomes that big of a deal. Realistically, it's not that big of a deal except for, initially, it will be a little bit of a culture shock."

Board President Brian Battle said opinion should be gathered from Barrington High's PTO and students before any formal discussion occurs.

Barrington Police Chief David Dorn said the measure would provide another layer in the high school's overall security plan. He said having identification cards issued with visible lanyards not only would allow for employees to check and verify a students' identities, but it would also indicate they have permission to be on campus or in the building.

"There are many times when former students are prohibited from returning to a school campus," Dorn said. "In this scenario, it will be easy for any staff member or student to visually determine the individual is not wearing an identification. In a school the size of BHS, it is impossible to know all of the students (and) staff without an identification card process."