NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Starting April 9, all high school students in Newport News Public Schools will be required to wear their student IDs while on the bus and school grounds.
In a message sent to families, the division says the policy is all about increasing safety measures. It's a move that parents told 13News Now they agree with.
Denise Thomas is a mother of three kids, all of whom attend schools in the Newport News school division. Her youngest is currently a student at Menchville High School. Thomas says the policy is proactive.
“I think that anything that can be done to ensure their safety should be taken,” Thomas said.
In 2021, a student died in a shooting in the school’s parking lot after a basketball game. The shooting led to an increase in security including extra personnel and bag checks at the school. There have also been shootings at Heritage High School and Richneck Elementary. In all three cases, police say, the shooters were students.
The policy would require all students to wear their lanyard and student ID also called a "T-pass" on the school bus and on campus. Also, students who ride a Newport News public school bus to and from school must scan their T-pass student ID as they board and exit the school bus. Thomas says that has been an issue in the past.
The school division says it adds another layer of safety for students and helps identify students in case of emergency, something Thomas can wholeheartedly support.
"I can appreciate the measures that they're taking with the implementation of the metal detectors, as well as these new T-Passes,” Thomas said.
If students don't abide by the new policy, they will face punishments ranging from a verbal warning to three days of in-school suspension.
The district says it issued T-passes to all students in September of 2022 but each high school will schedule dates and times for students to obtain a new ID before spring break.