On November 9, 2023, the Montgomery County Board of Education unanimously passed the Safe Schools Resolution proposed by Student Member of the Board, Sami Saeed, requiring student ID checks in Montgomery County Public School high schools by April.
In the 2022-2023 school year, Richard Montgomery, Walter Johnson, Rockville, and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School implemented a student ID check as a requirement to enter the building in response to increased safety threats.
Throughout Saeed’s SMOB campaign in early 2023, he promised, “If these incidents continue to next year, I’m going to do something about it.” During the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, shelters and lockdowns spread across the county, instilling fear among students and staff.
In response, Saeed took this matter and drafted the Safe Schools Resolution, allowing students in the SMOB Advisory Cabinet and his Instagram followers to add what they would and wouldn’t like to see on the resolution. “My resolution went from three to four provisions to ten that night,” Saeed said.
Walter Johnson Sophomore Anna Jhon said, “The first few weeks of adjusting to the ID program are the toughest as students are still getting used to it and it takes a while to adapt [but] a county-wide enforcement would definitely be a step in the right direction concerning school safety.”
Although all MCPS high schools are required to implement this policy, how they choose to implement it will vary based on what suits each school environment.
“If there is some kind of digital check-in, it would be nice to have a record of who entered the building on a given day,” social studies teacher Tilghman Gordon said.
According to Principal Vilma Nájera, students have suggested having accessories to accompany the ID checks, such as a black lanyard.
Student ID checks are new to MCPS but not to other education systems.
“In Nepal, we had ID checks in every school and college, so it has been done before, and in my opinion, it sounds like a good idea to have it here,” senior Aarju Karki said.
The safety of students and staff is very essential, and enacting these ID cards is a step in the right direction.
Betsy darracott • Jan 11, 2024 at 7:39 pm
I totally agree with this new policy. Students must be able to feel safe in their schools and surroundings areas. I also think that all backpacks must be searched upon entering schools. All door access should be locked while students are in school. Only One door should be used to enter and exit schools.
We need to be more protective of your children.