Student, Staff, Faculty ID Cards

Among the list of strategies promoted by the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) is one entitled, Student, Staff and Visitor ID Cards. The council says that “Identification cards for students, faculty, staff and visitors increase the visibility of individuals who do not belong in the school building and make the facility safer for all who use it.”

The strategies goes on to state that an identification card system, particularly when combined with access control procedures, deters individuals with no legitimate business in the school from attempting to enter the building and reduces opportunities for on-campus crimes, violence and drug dealing by unauthorized outsiders.

The council suggests that schools using identification cards issue them to students and staff at the beginning of the school year. Students, faculty and staff should be required to display valid identification cards to enter the building. They also suggest colorcoding the IDs to differentiate between student classes, and between faculty and staff, and that the cards be worn throughout the day by everyone in the school building. In addition, the council recommends that he visitor ID cards be larger than any other, making them noticeable and distinctive from those worn by students and staff.

The strategy states that visitors should be issued temporary identification cards after showing a driver’s license and signing in as they enter the building. Signs should be placed at the main entrances to notify visitors that identification is required to enter the school building. Each school in a district using the identification system needs to have a distinct card to reduce the likelihood that students or staff from other facilities could enter without authorization.

For more information about the National Crime Prevention Council’s strategies, visit www.ncpc.org/topics/school-safety.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • How Proactive Maintenance Can Transform Athletic Facilities into Strategic Assets for College Sports

    College athletics is entering one of the most transformative periods in its history. With NIL reshaping financial models and competitive expectations, athletic departments across the country are being asked to do more than ever with increasingly constrained resources.

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.

  • Designing Third Spaces That Do What AI Can't

    In 2026, education is evolving faster than ever. With AI reshaping everything from lesson planning to personalized instruction, schools and universities are turning their attention to what AI can’t replicate: spaces that foster collaboration, community, and creativity.

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.