On Nov. 1, Schreiber installed a device on the far right door, similar to a hotel key card system, in an attempt to increase school security although it has failed miserably. The rules of the new system are as follows: Students should never prop exterior doors open, students should never hold the doors open for others to enter the building, students should never give their ID cards to other students, and students should never open exterior doors from the inside to allow others inside.

If students were to obey these unnecessary rules regarding the ID system, a general school day would be very inefficient.  At the end of lunch periods, there is normally a swarm of students rushing through the front doors.  In theory, they would unlock the door one by one, wasting time for everyone, resulting in mass lateness to class.  Since only one door unlocks, there would be many people walking through a small space, a concern considering the spread of Covid-19.

“I think they should just let us use more doors instead of just the main one.  It’s useful but it’s a bit annoying having to swipe your ID every time,” said freshman Leah Dong.

Luckily, students do not have to worry about these issues because the ID system is hardly ever enforced.  Students coming in from outside use all the doors, leaving them open for others walking in behind them without ever swiping their cards.  

“I personally think that there are better things that money could’ve been spent on and every time I’ve tried to use one the door didn’t unlock,” said freshman Sadie Feingold. 

It is unacceptable that students may be locked out of their own school in the name of security if they happen to forget their ID cards.  School safety measures cannot lock out their students and seemingly punish them for a lapse of memory.

In addition, throughout the day, the front doors are often propped open for students to walk through; they do not have to think about using their IDs. 

“It makes me feel like the teachers around here don’t really have trust in the students,” said freshman Melanie Hernandez. 

Schreiber High School has been particularly strict since the pandemic started.  This year, Schreiber continued its policy of locking the bathroom doors during the five minute break between periods.  This meant students had to roam the school aimlessly to find an unlocked bathroom.  It was not until over five-hundred students signed a petition that Schreiber finally amended their strict decision.

The school district has also blocked more websites than ever with their Barracuda filter.  YouTube is a commonly used resource for educational videos and assignments, but students can only access the site if they remove all cookies, a time-consuming task.  Many educational websites are also blocked, and even Quizlet was blocked for a day.

Overall, there are many unnecessary regulations that prohibit Schreiber students in their educational experiences that are unhelpful and inefficient.  The new ID swipe is just one example of this.

The ID swipe system fails by every measure.  If it worked as it is meant to, the spread of Covid-19 would worsen, many students would be late to class, and it would generally be inefficient.  However, the system does not work at all, representing yet another waste of money.  Security has not increased by any means since the system’s implementation.  It is unreliable and anything but useful.  If Schreiber wants to enhance security, they must look for a stronger option.