MCPS High School ID Policy

Written by JRC Reporter Justin Jiang

One year ago, during the 2023-2024 school year, MCPS started a pilot initiative requiring students to show ID and wear it at all times while in school. It also utilizes student IDs as a core part of a student's pass into MCPS or school events. This initiative was started due to increased security threats at a variety of schools around the county, including bomb threats, outsiders trespassing on school property, and gun threats. The initiative was first implemented in five high schools, including Richard Montgomery, Walter Johnson, Rockville, and Chevy-Chase High Schools.

The pilot initiative worked well, so this year, MCPS has extended it to all high schools around the county and plans to have all of them incorporated by the end of November. These policies have been welcomed by parents who are grateful for increased school security. However, many students have different opinions.

The ID policy was implemented at Montgomery Blair High School (MBHS) early this school year. Andy, a sophomore at MBHS said that “the policy was pretty strict at first, with security guards at every entrance checking for IDs and teachers reminding students to keep IDs on. However, over time, teachers started caring less about wearing IDs.” He thinks that it is “pretty hard for security guards to check all 3000 students that go to the school” and “students can avoid getting checked by just blending in with a crowd.”

A Thomas Wootton High School freshman also has a similar take on the ID policy. They only started enforcing IDs around late October, and they already have a similar problem. He says, "Most people can avoid checking in the morning by going through cafeteria doors and not the main entrance.” To him, “It’s a little too lenient if they are trying to implement the IDs, to be honest.”

Many students do not feel much safer with the ID policy than without. It would be better if the policy were enforced as they know people can get into the school even without ID or being seen by security.

These problems are reflected on almost all the high schools in MCPS. A mandatory ID policy is a big step toward increased school safety. However, there is still much more we can do to close these gaps and fix these problems. The effectiveness of IDs is significantly reduced if outsiders can walk into the school through an alternate entrance or just blend in with a crowd.

This article was provided by Chinese American Parents Association Junior Reporter Club (CAPA JRC) with members who interviewed, audio recorded, wrote, translated, and video recorded. CAPA JRC has 25 Montgomery County middle to high school students. They have created a bilingual platform delivering news and serving the community.

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