kids forgetting id cards

[Cheryl Bybee <cbybee@TENET.EDU>]

We are a middle school, but handle this much the same way as Joyce
Miller.  We insist on the card, but will hold the book for a day if the
student forgot his/her card.  Last year we were quite lenient and
frankly, we probably had to type in the name or number much more often
than scan a card.  We decided to begin this year by really holding the
line.  As the year progressed we found that it was hardly ever a
problem--because the students KNEW that we meant it.  If a student loses
a card we charge 50 cents, order a new card from central office, and
allow the student to check out books without a card until the new one is
received.  We remind students of the need to carry identification to
drive, cash checks and even to use the public library.  Luckily for us,
the high schools in our district are also very strict about student
ID's...in fact, it is stated in the district-wide student handbooks for
high school that a student must be able to show his id card whenever a
teacher or school employee asks to see it, so we tell our kids that it is
just something to get used to and a matter of being mature and
responsible.  The key, in my opinion, is really sticking to it in the
beginning...then it becomes routine.
Cheryl Bybee, Stinson Middle School
cbybee@tenet.edu, San Antonio, TX