New IDs rife with mistakes

The new IDs, which were distributed Oct. 3, were delayed as a result of printing errors, according to Assistant Principal Andrew Coleman. Several of the mistakes, according to Coleman, are still present in the IDs that have been distributed.

When IDs were originally being processed, the staff discovered several inconsistencies in the database being used to create them, says Coleman, who also noted that the Media Center scanner was unable to read the barcodes. The administration then decided to review the database and method for printing barcodes before reprinting IDs, resulting in the delay in ID distribution, according to Coleman.

Despite the postponed distribution of IDs, however, students have found that their IDs still have printing errors, including but not limited to: the student's name, photograph, academy color, year, barcode and emergency code.

Freshmen Karen Vasquez's ID was missing both her year and her emergency code, so she did not know where to go during the fire drill.

Senior Zoe Bell was issued a white Magnet ID instead of a black senior ID. Bell said she does not want to bog down the system with her minor problem, especially because she is aware of how widespread ID mistakes are. "I know like 50 people with the wrong color ID," she said.

Bell feels somewhat apathetic about the error, and therefore has not tried to get her ID corrected. "It's a waste of time trying to get it fixed...They're so disorganized," she said of the administration.

While several students are indifferent about the problems with their IDs, some are actually pleased. Sophomore Kadeem Haynes was given an ID with the name "Larry," instead of his own, for no apparent reason (he is not related to anyone named Larry, nor is there a Larry Haynes in the school, according to BEN).

Haynes was rather gratified because he knew that if he got into trouble, security would have the wrong name. He reports that he was disappointed, however, when he was sought out and given a corrected replacement ID.

Senior Ben Aikman, who also had a color mix-up, said he thought it was rare for security to seek out students and give them corrected IDs. In general, he says, most students choose not to bring issues with their IDs to the attention of the administration, and the errors remain.