Rockford public schools enforce ID badge policy for all students

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Rockford Public Schools is requiring all students to wear ID badges at all times during school hours.

The initiative aims to ensure that only authorized students are present in school buildings, enhancing the overall security and learning environment.

“We want to make sure that the right students are in the right buildings, and they’re able to identify those students,” said district official Jason Barthel. “We’re providing and setting the conditions for a safe learning environment when we’re wearing IDs.”

Initially, compliance with the ID policy was low, with only 20% of students consistently wearing their ID badges at the point of entry.

Flinn Middle School was among the schools struggling with compliance. Principal Brandie Fago took steps to improve the situation by sending weekly reminders to parents and providing temporary name tags for students who forgot their IDs.

“Lines of communication is so important,” Fago said. “If we’re communicating those to our parents then I think that’s number one, right? They know we’re keeping their kids safe.”

The efforts have paid off, with noticeable improvements in compliance. “The first week, it was kind of like a little struggle, but, overall, I’ve been doing amazing with it,” said one student.

Another student noted, “It’s just it’s been a habit that I’ve been putting it on all, all the time.”

Fago is optimistic about reaching full compliance, stating, “We just keep doing what we’re doing, make sure we’re consistent, making sure our policies are in place.”

The district plans to implement a system where students can scan their IDs for attendance as they enter class.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WTVO. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WTVO staff before being published.