No matter where we navigate ourselves around Bowie, they are never too far from us. Placed on the surface of tables, noisily clanking against their metal retainers, and being frantically tied to a lanyard before class, it seems impossible to escape from the new school IDs this year.

At the beginning of this school year, Bowie revamped its ID system, requiring everyone on campus to wear a school ID during school hours as an extra layer of security. This new change was met with several groans from students as they learned about the inconveniences of wearing a small plastic card during school hours. Many were inclined to voice their concerns against the principal for making them wear such hassling, annoying, pestering bits of plastic.

Here’s the thing – the new IDs really are just small, plastic cards. The abundance of students who think this new system is the end of the world for them need to reconsider their priorities. For one, the implementation of these IDs is the least oppressing thing the school could’ve done to increase security. Secondly, this shows that the school cares about and puts thought into our safety. Lastly, it’s possible that, in the future, these IDs could have other uses besides security.

Let me make this clear to some students – having to wear plastic cards will not make school a new purgatory. There are many other districts in Texas, such as NEISD, Cy-Fair ISD, and EISD, who have begun forcing their students purchase clear backpacks. Honestly, we should be thanking AISD for only going so far as to make us wear IDs when they could have opted for a more stringent method of security. I’m sure that those other students in Texas would much rather want the option of wearing an ID over having to wear transparent backpacks for the rest of the school year.

If AISD did absolutely nothing to increase security after the shooting in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 students were brutally massacred, should students really see that as a positive thing? Think about it this way: by applying the ID system to Bowie, it shows that AISD is looking out for our safety. They are demonstrating that they actually care about our well-being through the addition of school IDs. If AISD did absolutely nothing to increase security measures for their students, that would indicate a lack of concern for the prosperity of us students. It’s like a parent giving their kids a flu shot; sure, it might hurt a little at first, but in the long run, the purpose of the shot is to help the kid.

There’s a good chance these IDs could be used for other purposes than just security in the future. Schools all around the nation have already begun using their ID cards for several other uses, such as library passes, meal cards, and even as a way to take attendance in classes. Instead of filling in a Google survey each time a student visits the library, we could just swipe our IDs and get signed in. Instead of punching in a student number each time a student orders from the cafeteria, we could just swipe our IDs and pay that way. Instead of spending 10 minutes a class taking attendance, we could just… actually, let’s be honest. We all like that. In any case, IDs have a big potential when it come to things non-security related.

The next time we hear someone comment about how unfair and annoying it is to wear an ID, remember the kids who are forced to wear clear backpacks. Remember the fact that AISD is looking out for us. Remember that there’s a good chance these IDs don’t have to be used entirely for security. Remember that, ultimately, these IDs are just flat pieces of plastic, not the catalysts to the end of the world.

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