How exactly can ID cards track behavior? Well, if a student is tardy, for example, they arrive at the attendance office where their card is swiped and a paper slip is printed out. After several offenses, the slip could turn from a simple warning into a detention. Schools officials will also be able to quickly scan the ID cards of students involved in a fight or other disturbance. This helps them to identify who was involved before the students can come up with clever alibis.

For parents, the new student ID system can offer assurance that when their kids go to school, they're actually going to class and not just goofing around. Similar school ID programs have been implemented at schools in Miami, Chicago and Houston. The Miami-Dade schools district reports that tardiness has decreased by 80% since the smart cards were issued.