In West High, every student knows about the lanyard policy, which states, “All students, teachers and staff must wear their lanyards at all times.” According to West High Administration, if students are seen without their lanyards, they will be stopped by security and we could face severe consequences. Many students wonder if these consequences are truly necessary, and as a result, we’re left in a state of annoyance.

Lanyards are quite a nuisance. They cause a distraction in class, especially when we’re trying to learn. But unfortunately, we can’t take them off. Why? Because if we do, our teacher will scold us for taking them off, and we’ll have to put them back on for the rest of the day.

Along with the annoyances that a lanyard provides, we’re also stopped by security many times within school hours just to see if we have their IDs and lanyards. Office staff announce over the intercom for lanyard checks too. “I get that there are bad people in the world who would do really bad things,” says sophomore Anthony Saephahn, “but I doubt anything would happen in this small town of Tracy.” Students are constantly being told to have their lanyards and IDs on at all times, and the whole process seems tedious and too strict. “Instead of having to wear them permanently, why not just show them at the school entrance and then not have to wear it for the rest of the day?” said sophomore Jose Mexicano.

Some students even believe that there isn’t a point in having lanyards. “Our lanyards are all different and no one checks IDs. So how does it help identify us?” asks sophomore Molly Dini. “Most people don’t even have current IDs. You can get on campus with any lanyards so it’s not even a safety thing. It’s just adults enforcing strange rules with no real reason behind them.” Having our lanyards is just one more thing that we worry about, and such a small object can land us in a large amount of trouble. It also makes us feel a little more stressed because it’s such a small matter that has a lot of attention from administrators. Rather than carrying our lanyards with us, we can store our IDs in our wallets, bags, purses, etc.

Lanyards are just another ‘feature’ that isn’t necessary for everyone in the school. The heavily enforced rules for these lanyards should not be as heavily enforced for us students. According to assistant principal Zach Boswell, “We are always willing to look at new ideas, but we are also here to meet the expectations of the community and board.” Boswell also says that “Our most important job is to keep students safe.” While we understand that safety is important, many of us wish we didn’t have to wear the lanyards.