Over the past few weeks, New Hyde Park Memorial High School has significantly increased its enforcement of the school ID policy, requiring all students to wear IDs at all times. The administration has taken a firm stance on ensuring compliance, implementing a variety of measures including increased signage, school wide announcements and direct intervention from teachers and staff. 

“I think it’s a good thing that students have to wear IDs, since in the real world, in the workplace and in college, they will likely be mandated. So, having students learn this now is very helpful,” social studies teacher Dr. Kowalczyk said.

One of the most visible aspects of the policy is the number of signs placed throughout the building. These reminders have been positioned in high traffic areas such as hallways and the lunchroom. Messages on the signs range from “It’s not hard, wear your ID card” to “WHERE’S YOUR ID CARD?”

Another aspect of the ID policy enforcement occurred when the school played a song using Suno Artificial Intelligence (AI) over the loudspeakers, entirely dedicated to the importance of wearing IDs. During the morning announcements and every passing period, students were suddenly met with lyrics and melodies reinforcing the message that IDs must be worn at all times. The song, which repeated variations of the phrase “Wear your ID,” left many students bewildered.

“I feel like playing AI generated songs in an attempt to get us to wear our ID cards was a very creative approach since I totally did not expect to hear that when I walked into school that morning. My Pre-Calc class even created our own song and it was later played in the hallway. I feel like the sheer unexpectedness and silliness of it worked better than yelling from security guards,” junior Rifaya Khan said. 

Staff members have been instructing students to display their IDs at all times, often preventing them from proceeding until their identification is visible.

The school’s reasoning behind this heightened enforcement is rooted in security concerns. Wearing school-issued identification allows staff to quickly recognize students, ensuring that only authorized individuals are in the building. With school safety being a major concern nationwide, many institutions have tightened security protocols, and New Hyde Park Memorial is following suit by making ID visibility a top priority.

Despite the administration’s justification for stricter enforcement, some students question whether the level of intervention is necessary. While many acknowledge the importance of safety, the increased signage, loudspeaker announcements and assertive faculty intervention have led some to believe that the policy could be enforced in a more measured manner.

“I think the ID crackdown is somewhat reasonable in nature but not the right way to go about it. It would be more efficient to have students wear something less restricting that affects their daily studies less,” said junior Ava Su. “All the staff do is simply check if students are wearing their IDs, but not if the student is actually the owner of that specific ID or if it is a valid ID. This makes the whole thing somewhat pointless.” 

“While security is important, mandating ID cards turns school into an environment of surveillance, where students feel monitored, rather than trusted. This process exposes students to public shaming for simply following the rules, reinforcing a culture where conformity is penalized rather than rewarded,” junior Samay Patel said. 

As the school continues to reinforce this rule, it remains to be seen whether enforcement efforts will ease over time or if additional measures will be introduced. For now, students are advised to ensure their IDs are visible at all times to avoid disciplinary action or disruptions to their school day.