STUDENTS FORCED TO WEAR ID CARDS

Security Tags Combat Intruders

High school students across the city are being forced to wear visible photo
identification cards in a bid to counter growing security concerns on
school grounds, including drug dealing and assaults.

Several high schools have introduced mandatory identification cards that
must be worn around the neck by staff and students at all times while on
school grounds.

Some schools have taken their card policies a step further, punishing
students caught not wearing their picture identification on the outside of
their clothing.

The cards are not mandated by the Calgary Board of Education or the Calgary
Catholic School Board, but both boards have allowed high schools to
implement their own policies, making the cards mandatory.

Graham White, spokesman for the Calgary Board of Education, confirmed
Wednesday that "several" public high schools are already requiring students
to wear ID cards.

He said the cards are considered by some school administrations to be a
crucial part of student security and safety.

"I think that when you consider the size and location of some of the
schools, and the experience of a lot of schools, for them, this is a very
important security measure," said White.

He said schools have been forced to deal with non-students on school
grounds on numerous occasions -- people often involved in nefarious
activities such as drug dealing and violence.

"These administrations and teachers have had very bad experiences with
non-students, even adults who can pass as high school students," said White.

"We're talking about people targeting students for illicit substance sales,
violence, or any other kind of assaults."

"This isn't hypothetical," said White. "This is something that has happened
in the past."

Dr. E.P. Scarlett High School in the southwest, Bishop McNally Senior High
School in the northeast, Father Lacombe High School in the southeast, and
St. Francis Senior High School in the northwest have all made visible cards
mandatory.

At Bishop O'Byrne Senior High School in the southeast, the cards have been
mandatory since the school opened in 2000. The wearing of the cards --
which can also tell teachers where a student is supposed to be at any given
time -- is strictly enforced.

While Jenny Chapman thinks the cards will keep unwanted visitors from
roaming Scarlett's hallways, she doesn't believe students will remember to
wear them.

"I think it's a bit of a hassle. It gets in the way and you forget about
bringing it," she said.

School officials have been patient with students who don't display their
cards, but they've been warned the policy is about to be strongly enforced,
said Chapman.

"I can understand how it would be difficult to know if each student is a
part of the school," she said. "We've had a couple of people come into the
school (who weren't supposed to be there.)"

In a school newsletter last October, Father Lacombe principal Maria Della
Rocchetta said the cards "made a great difference in helping us to identify
unwelcome intruders."

All staff and students were issued cards and cords on the first day of the
school year last September, and must wear them while on school grounds.

Students leave their cards hanging in their lockers at the end of each
school day. Students who lose their IDs must pay $3 for a new card. The
cards are also necessary for book rental, computer use and bus pass purchases.

Carmen Chrumka, spokeswoman for the Calgary Catholic School Board, said the
board has no policy on the identification.

"It's up to the individual schools as to whether they choose to use it,"
she said. "I know that some of our schools use it. There is a safety and
security issue certainly tied in with it."

Sgt. Tim Loucks, of the police school resource unit, said the visible
identification cards could be a useful tool in policing the city's schools.

"From our point of view, it will help identify who belongs and who doesn't
belong. If there is someone in a school who isn't wearing one of these
cards, they're going to stick out like a sore thumb. The red flag goes up
automatically."

Michele Mulder, president of the Alberta School Boards Association and the
Canadian School Boards Association, said measures such as mandatory visible
identification cards are becoming reality at many schools. Mulder recently
travelled to Toronto, where schools are considering installing metal
detectors and video cameras.

"I think this is part of a bigger issue and that's providing a safe
community for students at schools," she said.

White said schools, particularly large urban ones, are having to cope with
Calgary's dramatic growth that has brought with it increased security concerns.

"They are managing it the best way they can. The fact is, we live in a very
fast growing urban environment that really demands these kinds of measures."