School IDs are now mandatory on campus and are required to be worn by students and staff at all times during school hours. Since recent incidents of individuals who didn’t belong on the McKinley campus, the principal and staff have made IDs a requirement by setting strong regulations on not having one.

“Due to all the recent incidences that have taken (place) around and on campus, we will be reinstituting wearing the school’s ID badges,” Principal Ron Okamura wrote in a letter to McKinley ohana in December.

These new regulations can put students in debt and even cause Saturday school if a student doesn’t have or wear one. These school rules can also ban students from attending prom, dances, and other school activities.

Many students have mixed feelings about these new regulations.

“It feels like it is unnecessary. If worst comes to worst, a five-dollar fine is necessary, but Saturday school is just dumb, especially for an ID,” Azu Kinoshita said.

If a student doesn’t have an ID, they are required to be sent to the office to get a new one, for which they have to pay five dollars in order to go back to class. If a student doesn’t have five dollars, they are put five dollars into school debt which they had to pay in order to graduate.

In a survey conducted by Pinion staff, out of 68 students, 54 felt either neutral or negative about the new ID rule. In the survey, students felt that the ID rule was unhelpful since the rule can always fail, like how some students don’t follow school rules in general.

The survey asked McKinley students on how to stay safe and protect themselves on campus in situations revolving around a trespasser. McKinley students recommend being aware of your surroundings, walking with people you can trust, and not being afraid to tell staff members about any suspicious behavior.

Not everything about the ID requirement was unnecessary for Kinoshita, as it was a new way to keep trespassers off school campuses.

“I personally don’t like the idea of mandatory IDs, but I feel like it is definitely a way to keep people who don’t belong here off campus,” Kinoshita said.

These new requirements are meant to keep the school safe and secure.