http://www.alphacard.com/lanyards.shtmlID cards have been normal at schools for years now. Students keep them in their wallets to use in the lunch line or to check out books, visitors and staff use them for identification. They’re such a normal part of most students’ lives that Now, in Florida, a controversy has erupted over a teacher who refuses to wear an ID badge.
Steve Walters, a favorite English teacher among students at Clinton High School in Clinton, MI, has refused to conform to the school’s new ID policy, which requires teachers to wear photo IDs around their necks at all time. Walters, who has been a teacher at Clinton High for 16 years, walked out of class on January 31 in protest and has since been on sick leave. Walters believes that wearing a badge takes away from the teaching experience and hampers him from giving the best lessons he can by disrupting the class:
"It erodes the atmosphere of trust and openness critical to a school. I think it works against the sense of individuality and at the heart and core of what a school is. This is different because I am being asked to wear this policy. By doing that I become a representative of it and an advertisement for it."
The ID badges required by Clinton High School are just an element of a larger security plan which includes surveillance cameras, increased access control, and emergency procedure changes. Officials hoped the policy would be implemented smoothly, but Mr. Walter’s persistent fight has caused great debate over the issue. Concerned parents who want their children to benefit from Mr. Walter’s popular classes have begun to stick up for him, and the school board has been holding hearings in front of a packed house all week.
Clinton’s school superintendent maintains that teacher ID badges are an integral part of the new security system, saying that should an intruder enter the school, badges are the easiest way to distinguish teacher from intruder.
Parental opinions are split – with some concerned about safety, and others concerned about the quality of the environment and student-teacher relationship. It’s an issue that seems to be at a standstill.
ID cards are becoming more and more a part of our everyday lives, as witnessed by the struggle currently underway at Clinton High School. How are they best used? Is there such a thing as going too far with ID cards? What do you think?
For those of you who must display an ID card at all times, AlphaCard offers many convenient options. From standard lanyards and custom lanyards to badge reels, we provide a stylish option for every use.
Read more at the Tecumseh Herald…
