Student ID cards will not be coming to Santa Rosa County schools next fall.
The proposal failed after Santa Rosa County District Schools Supt. Karen Barber recommended approval of a policy that would allow the district to institute student identification cards that students would be required to wear on lanyards throughout the school day and and at school-sponsored events..
Santa Rosa School Board Chair Carol Boston made a motion to approve the recommendation at the Thursday meeting, but it failed to get a second and never went to a vote.
Board members Elizabeth Hewey and Linda Sanborn said they had been contacted by parents who were concerned about the safety and security of the ID cards, which would have been issued to all K-12 students.
“Not a single parent has contacted me to say that it’s a good idea,” Sanborn said.
Boston said the feedback she had received from school districts that implemented student ID cards was that it was effective.
The school board discussed the potential to adopt ID cards at its April meeting and later held a public hearing on the issue. The school board postponed voting on the ID cards until its May meeting over concerns and questions from parents about the use of ID cards.
Travis Fulton, SRCDS director of purchasing who also oversees transportation, said in his presentation on Thursday night that the ID cards would be encrypted and would include only student directory information.
For elementary students, the proposed ID cards would have the initial of their first name and last name. For secondary students, the proposed ID cards would include the student’s name, a recent photo and possibly their school information. Both IDs cards would include a QR code or bar code.
Students would initially use the cards for bus transportation and meals. Fulton said the cards could be updated and other potential uses included entering buildings and classrooms and checking out media center material.
The ID cards would also help the district’s transportation department determine exactly what bus a student is riding on—even if it’s not their assigned bus.
Several citizens, including Jerry Couey and Cindy Smith, opposed the ID cards and questioned the cost of implementation.
Funding for the ID cards would have come from U.S. Department of Agriculture food service reimbursements and revenue from stop arm violation fines.
The ID cards would cost the district $672,595 the first year, and $509,430 of those funds have already been approved by the school board and budgeted for transportation for the 2025-26 school year. The remaining $163,165 would be for the ID cards and equipment.
The subsequent year, the system would cost the school district $81,765.
Had the district adopted the student ID cards, the school district would have been able to receive more Medicaid reimbursements for providing services such as speech therapy and occupational therapy to students with disabilities. The attendance of students with special needs are now counted using paper.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Santa Rosa Schools unpopular student ID card proposal fails
Reporting by Mary Lett, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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