ROWAN COUNTY, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Every student in Rowan County Schools will receive a new ID badge when the school year begins as part of a district-wide system designed to track attendance, improve safety, and monitor bus riders.
The badges will become part of students' daily routines, from riding the bus to going through the lunch line.
Glen Teager, chief operating officer for the Board of Education, said the rollout covers every grade level.
"We will be distributing ID badges to each of our students," Teager said.
While the district says the badges will improve safety and accountability, some parents have raised questions about the program.
Parent Jean McClain raised several questions about this new system.
"What does this look like for children with disabilities? What look like for families can't afford to keep replacing and replacing this badge?" McClain said.
Teager said the first replacement badge is free. After that, it costs $5. He added that the district does not want the cost to become a barrier for families.
"We also know if there are other circumstances. That we may not be charging that," Teager said.
For some parents, the biggest question isn't the badge itself. It's what information is connected to it and whether that information is secure.
McClain pointed to a common safety practice that now seems at odds with the new policy.
"They tell us not to put our children's name on their backpacks for privacy and safety reasons. Now they are going to be carrying a badge that has all their information and what does that information intel," McClain said.
Teager said the badges are encrypted and contain only a student ID number.
"The cards are encrypted first off and whatever data is on there is just their student ID," Teager said.
He added that the data connects only to an existing secure system.
"It just ties into our system which is already a private data system that can't be let out," Teager said.
Teager said some growing pains are expected, but staff are ready to adapt as the new system is phased in.
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