As schools nation-wide begin to adopt more intrusive badge-based security and entry systems, Abington Friends School is keeping up with this crack down on security. In the first week of school, every AFS student was handed a temporary ID swinging from a lanyard, and then was told to put it on. This marked a sudden shift from last year’s loosely enforced ID policy, whose philosophy followed a more “scan it if you have it” routine.
Martha Scache, Director of Business and Operations, said, “It makes it much more likely that a student is going to have their fob on them.”
“A lesser chance of [losing ID’s] means less ringing the doorbell,” Scache said, “which [has] become a real problem.”
While the problem of people losing their IDs and buzzing the front desk “has improved,” Upper School Administration Assistant Carolyn Schwartz says that, “I still feel like I’m buzzing in more people than I have to.”
However, convenience is not the only reason for the new lanyards.
Security Committee Clerk John Rison said, “It makes it easy to identify who’s supposed to be here and who’s not.”
Rison said, “If everyone is wearing a lanyard, then we know who is part of our community, and anyone who isn’t is just a little bit suspect.”
The measures taken by AFS are not unique, as across the United States, schools have been tightening entry control with varying severity. Much like AFS, Portland public schools now require all middle and high school students to wear visible ID badges at all time, according to Portland Axios.
While AFS has focused more on visible ID’s and door scanners, many school districts have taken much more drastic measures. According to the Washington Post, some large school systems have begun to force students as young as kindergarteners to go through metal detectors, while others have turned to AI-powered “Weapon-Detection” gates that students pass through daily.
Schools have even cracked down on backpacks in order to prevent forbidden items from entering the classroom. According to Richmond Axios, “Richmond public schools will require see-through backpacks for all students.”
This comes after several students were caught bringing guns to school, and represents the nation-wide crackdown on shooting-prevention in schools.
Within days of the policy being put in place, reminders turned into incentives, and for Abington Friends School’s 329th graduating class, consequences. Starting with what most thought was just a convenient way to not lose their ID, the new lanyard policy threatens to delay off-campus privileges for stubborn seniors.
“I wear this thing so I can go have lunch off-campus when senior privileges drop,” said Timur Kryzhanovsky ‘26. “If it weren’t for [12th grade dean] Rusty [Regalbuto]’s inspections, I would have already thrown it away.”
This consequential enforcement proves a much higher yield than the reward-driven ticket system, as in the halls you will see many more seniors wearing their lanyards than any other grade.
One other factor that some students consider is fashion.
“It just throws off the drip,” said Khalil Jimenez ‘27, an opinion echoed by many others in the vicinity of the interview.
While AFS has allowed students to personalize their lanyards with different colors and designs, Myles Griffin ‘26 says the customization still just “doesn’t fit the fit.”
Behind the scenes, the shift came through the school’s security committee and an incremental approach. Administrators described a years-long evolution, first locking doors, then testing photo IDs as “fobs,” and now moving to visible IDs.
“We’ve been evolving… start small and then incrementally get better at implementing safety and security measures,” said Scache.
Rison framed the change in Quaker terms, saying, “In some ways, it’s a little bit of a continual revelation thing… you try something like the ID cards, that doesn’t necessarily work as well as we wanted it to, so we evolved the plan.”
Beyond lanyards, the school is widening its safety playbook.
“The cameras do work, and we’ve had to add them,” Scache said.
AFS is also “actively partnering with the Abington Police Department and doing tabletop exercises” while the AFS Safety Committee meets regularly to review procedures.
“I applaud that behavior,” Scache said on the topic of consequential enforcement. She described a shift toward “cultural accountability”, and asked that the community carry forward the policy.
As permanent IDs replace the temporary badges, AFS will see whether visible cards actually reduce buzz-ins, and make visitors easier to spot. The policy now sits alongside cameras, drills, and door restrictions by age and role. In an age where safety and security is the top priority of almost all institutions, is AFS keeping up, and what can we expect going forward?
Makai O'Neill • Nov 12, 2025 at 8:36 pm
I think that this article is very interesting and makes many good points, and yes, I do think it is important to have the lanyards to identify if people are from AFS or people who shouldn’t be there. (It’s also helpful when I forget someone’s name) I don’t have a big problem with wearing my lanyard, and I don’t think that they get in the way or are annoying. I wasn’t actually fully sure of the reason we would need them, but now that I know, I understand why they have made such a big deal of it, and I think that it was good they did.
Elsa • Nov 12, 2025 at 7:23 pm
I was pretty aware of why AFS has us wear lanyards, and I think they are a good way to make sure random people don’t just walk in, but with how often people don’t wear them, I feel like it could be harder to know if some goes to school here or not. I guess consequences could be a good way to make sure people keep them on, but I feel like they are pretty easy to leave behind or misplace. I think maybe they should be visible, but we shouldn’t have to wear them around our necks. Maybe we could wear them on our bags, or somewhere else, so they won’t mess with people’s outfits.
Gary L • Nov 12, 2025 at 2:47 pm
Wearing your school ID and lanyard every day is really important for safety and security at school because it helps staff and teachers know who belongs on campus and who doesn’t.Even though the rule is meant to protect us, sometimes as teenagers we forget our lanyards at home, leave them in our lockers, or just clip them onto our bookbags instead of wearing them. It can feel like a small thing that doesn’t really matter, especially when we’re rushing in the morning or just don’t see the point of it. But remembering to wear our ID shows responsibility and helps keep our school secure for everyone. It’s a small habit that actually makes a big difference in making sure our school stays a safe place to learn.
cassiopeia ballod • Nov 12, 2025 at 2:43 pm
I agree that this is really important, and especially with the rise of school violence it’s extremely important to use some kind of security measures. ive never cared much about my appearances, but I do see why it throws off people’s outfits. I think we could possibly improve this to be more customizable, thus more wearable, but still have them present.
Mya R • Nov 12, 2025 at 2:28 pm
I hadn’t ever thought about the fact that AFS may not be the only school cracking down on security measures. However, it does make sense due to the rapid increase in incidents happening in schools nowadays. Although I believe that AFS is fair in having safety concerns, I still believe that the rule is an unreasonable rule to suddenly be dropped onto students in such a harsh manner. A rule was suddenly introduced, but if it wasn’t followed properly, it was automatically met with a detention for forgetting to wear a lanyard. I truly believe that is a harsh punishment for forgetting to show a lanyard, even though I understand AFS’s concerns about safety nowadays.
Skyler Tremblay • Nov 12, 2025 at 8:31 am
I did not know that many other districts were taking measures like AFS is doing with our lanyards. It is really shocking that some kindergartners have to go through metal detectors for schools to feel safe now. It is really crucial to understand what measures other schools are taking, such as see through backpacks and and AI-powered detection gates. I do agree that lanyards do not look very good and don’t really “fit the fit.” Although sometimes, lanyards can be a problem, I do find it reassuring that our school district really cares about our safety, and I also wonder if there can be more customization options for the lanyards.
Solomon • Nov 10, 2025 at 7:15 pm
I know that over the years I have been at AFS the Safety Community has been thinking deeply about safety at AFS and has offered guidance to the school on various safety policies. I and others I have talked to about the policy seem to feel like requiring students and faculty to wear lanyards with school id cards is something that feels at odds with AFS’ approach and educational philosophy. Even though this policy seems different and not necessarily aligned with Quaker values fully, I definitely understand why the Safety Committee felt this policy was important. When I initially heard about the policy I was confused and didn’t fully understand the reasoning, but at this point I feel like there is more clarity on the rationale of the policy. Wearing an id does not really bother me, but I do understand that this policy can be frustrating for others in various ways.
Meadow Campuzano • Nov 9, 2025 at 5:00 pm
I was aware that it was for security reasons because before we had lanyards it was easy for anyone to just walk into our school. I remember a couple years ago the police were called because there was a random man walking through our school. I think that consequence is a good idea so that people feel more of a need to wear their lanyards. But I didn’t really know that there were consequences. I definitely get the point that wearing the lanyard affects the swag in a negative way. I feel similarly but I still wear mine because safety is very important because of all the things happening in schools across America. I don’t think having to wear lanyards affects the community. I think it’s a good idea to keep us safe seeing how before that our school was not that safe.
Una • Nov 7, 2025 at 6:10 pm
Unfortunately, I do understand why the lanyard policy had been enacted. Wearing my lanyard isn’t my all time favorite thing, but I also don’t really mind it. As a Quaker school, I find the topic of safety to be rather interesting. Assuming peace and good intent, and welcoming all is in stark contrast with the very real need to have heightened security measures. As for consequential enforcement, I never think it’s a good idea. If a student forgets their lanyard out of sheer forgetfulness, no part of that deserves to be punished. The student was most likely tired, busy, and had no malicious intent. That type of thing should not be punished at a school like AFS. Constant threats and punishment do not yield a positive community. In the next couple of years, lanyards will probably become second nature, but starting off with punishments and shame will significantly slow down the integration process.
Avery F • Nov 10, 2025 at 4:04 pm
I hadn’t considered the harms of consequential enforcement in the case of wearing lanyards, however I agree with your statement that it will slow down the integration process. I have forgotten my lanyard a few times this year, simply just because I left it in my kitchen after taking it off at home. Yet having to tell the teachers I forgot it was embarrassing. While I still think the policy should be enforced, I don’t think staff should push it as hard, especially in the first year of the strict enforcements. Its difficult to go from a loosely enforced rule to a strict policy, and punishing students within the first months of something that could be completely new to them, likely won’t promote their use.
Joeseph • Nov 11, 2025 at 1:06 am
I have a mixed reaction to your comment. You make a good point by saying that constant threats and punishment do not yield a positive community, but I think that lanyards are still a necessary safety measure considering the context we live in, and there should be consequences to disobedience. While constant passive-aggressive threats of punishment are not conducive to a Quaker community, certain consequences are indeed called for when a student breaks a rule. The “tiredness” excuse can be applied to nearly everything – why should we accept it for lanyards? A rule is a rule and should be followed to the best of one’s ability. Perhaps we can implement a strike system – the first two times a student forgets their lanyard, it’s a slap on the wrist. For the third and following occurrences, there will be increasingly severe consequences.
(please don’t take this too seriously)
Radha Airan-Javia • Nov 7, 2025 at 1:55 pm
I think that wearing lanyards at school greatly affects the sense of community. At first, the requirement felt trivial and insulting, like we were being forced to do yet another thing we did not want to. Once the reason behind them became more evident, the necessity of the lanyards was made clear, but they then became an everyday reminder of the violence and risk that is happening in our country. The customization of lanyards has been instrumental in returning a community feeling atmosphere with the lanyards and keeping them from simply feeling like a warning and security necessity. I think that while they will change the feeling of security and community at AFS, they will become part of the community culture and less of a requirement that always necessitates constant enforcement.
Avery Fusarelli • Nov 7, 2025 at 11:48 am
Although I find the use of lanyards slightly inconvenient, I do agree that they serve great importance to the safety and wellbeing of the community. I understand that students having to buzz in has become a big problem for Carolyn, and I agree that it is an issue. However, I feel as though the enforcement of IDs and lanyards is less about safety and more about convenience. AFS is a small community, and I don’t think it would be difficult to spot someone from outside the community. Yet, I recognize that the visible identification is useful for staff to quickly verify students, especially in security and safety drills. Ultimately, I agree with the use of the lanyards, yet there is a challenge between balancing security and comfort of the students.
Natalie Kovalenko • Nov 10, 2025 at 12:25 pm
I agree with the claim that the forceful mandate is eroding students’ comfort. It is also helpful to consider the other mandates being put in place at the same time. The stress of the rise of rules that are being put upon students, while they already seem to have to manage everything, goes against the whole notion that the lanyard is for “well-being.” With the Yonder pouches, food restrictions, and just overall rules ot think of, lanyards seem to be less about safety but more of trying to build a more “forceful community. Obviously, they eliminate some issues like the one you mentioned about Carolyn, but to what lengths will we take these mandates, if a school will always have problems, no matter the rules established?
Kylie Firmin • Nov 7, 2025 at 9:51 am
Although lanyards may be an uncomfortable adjustment, I think they’re ultimately a good step toward making the school a safer place, considering the dangers of today’s world. When the school year started, I wasn’t entirely aware of why they were requiring lanyards, especially since we already had ID cards last year. It seemed a little unnecessary, and for some students, I think it still does. Because of this, consequential enforcement may do more harm than good, considering the already more negative air surrounding mandatory lanyards. But I still think efforts to ensure student and faculty safety are always efforts well made. As someone who really takes into consideration their appearance, I understand feeling like the lanyards tamper with my outfits, but at the end of the day, I’d rather be safe than look good. That isn’t to say sometimes I don’t forget, but the case still stands. I do think the lanyards have found a way to connect people, for better or worse. Either through unified complaints or through shared additions to our accessories. But finding ways to improve the safety of our school, even if vexing, is appreciated.
Anjali Tremblay • Nov 7, 2025 at 3:13 pm
I completely agree. I think lanyards, in the end, have more positive effects than negative and are a reasonable request on the part of the school. I hope that soon lanyards become a part of the school environment so that consequential enforcement is not necessary. Instead, I hope wearing them can be viewed as a common decency. Like you said, the world is a very dangerous place. Many schools, including private schools such as Friends Select, have metal detectors students have to walk through every day. Schools like SCH already have mandatory ID. AFS adding lanyards helps ensure that we are all clear about who belongs in the building and who doesn’t, especially when it comes to who is let into the building. If Caroline does not have to buzz anyone in, there’s no chance of her letting in someone who shouldn’t be in the school. If students know other students always have a way to get inside, there’s less chance of them letting in people they don’t recognize. Since lanyards can be customized, I think everyone should figure out a way that works for them and try to wear them. If we all work together to have a positive relationship with lanyards, it will be easier and safer for everyone.
[email protected] • Nov 7, 2025 at 9:48 am
Yes, I was aware of the reasons behind the lanyard. Wearing a lanyard takes up such a small portion of a student’s outfit; I do not think it inhibits student expression because AFS is a community that is very in tune with student authenticity, and the lanyards are a security measure that protects students and secures the campus. I feel like people overdramatize the lanyards. I get that it can be uncomfortable, but it is implemented to protect us students, especially with the Yondr pouch policy; our phones can no longer act as a safety precaution. Lanyards will secure the campus. I suggest people replace their AFS lanyard with a personalized one for comfort and self-expression.
Cadence Carson • Nov 7, 2025 at 9:27 am
At first, I was frustrated with the reasoning behind why we have to wear our lanyards full time when on campus, but after discussing with many teachers and faculty, I found that it was necessary for maintaining safety and accountability. My claim is that while wearing lanyards may seem restrictive, they are an important part of keeping our school secure without limiting student expression. The balance between security and student expression stays the same considering the fact that many students at AFS still express themselves through how they dress and identify, and every individual at AFS is expected to wear a lanyard, even the faculty. Intentionally, when we first implemented the individual student IDs, many kids kept their ID in their phone case or on the side of their backpack, which they kept on their person most of the time. Now that we have executed the idea of Yondr Pouches and our phones are not easily accessible, that eliminates that option. I would suggest that instead of wearing lanyards, which certain individuals may find irritating, we could keep our student IDs in the little clear pocket outside of the Yondr Pouch. This way, students would be less likely to forget their IDs because they would not want to lose their personal device.
Percy • Nov 7, 2025 at 9:16 am
I think that the lanyards, even if most people don’t like them, are necessary for our community and shows forethought on the administration’s part to be planning for safety. However, I think another ongoing issue is what exactly qualifies as wearing a lanyard which I am curious about. Particularly with some teachers – they don’t have their IDs visible. Luckily, in practice this isn’t a problem because they are so well known in the community its not like anyone doesn’t know who they are. But on the flip side, when they don’t wear the lanyards it becomes impossible for the administration to expect students to wear them if teachers can’t lead by example. I think this is the best solution for our school that sits in the middle of not wearing lanyards at all – and having clear backpacks.
J Wu • Nov 6, 2025 at 9:30 pm
I think the Lanyards are neat. When they were first implemented, it was kind of annoying since I would forget my lanyard all the time and then get locked outside waiting for someone to open the door for me. After a while, it really has just become a habit; it doesn’t bother me in terms of aesthetics as others in the community. I don’t really see the vision of “safety” that the school is going for though, having lanyards doesn’t make me feel “more or less safe” than before, it’s just a thing around my neck, though maybe there’s more thought put behind it that I’m missing. Overall, they’re nice to have, but I understand why some may dislike or disagree with how they’ve been implemented.
Aarohi • Nov 5, 2025 at 7:14 pm
When it comes to lanyards, I don’t think it’s particularly a huge deal to be required to have it visible. It makes sense that seeing the ID could help the staff know who is and isn’t attending classes at AFS. I wish that the staff would allow kids not to traditionally wear the lanyards. I usually put it through the holes of my jeans or in the pocket of my sweatpants so it is visible. Having the lanyard around my neck is uncomfortable and distracting, especially in chaotic situations. I’m forgetful, and I often don’t realize when I’ve lost things, so I appreciate the staff’s understanding of losing or forgetting your lanyard somewhere. Overall, I think the lanyards are a good security addition, but I wish the staff were more understanding of the concerns about how to wear them.
Sam • Nov 5, 2025 at 8:11 am
I think that the school needs to pick a direction to go in with the lanyards. The idea behind the lanyards is to know who is supposed to be on campus and who is not, but I think that ID’s do the same thing. I don’t think people are letting random people in, and we are a small enough school that someone will recognize someone out of place. I also think that the enforcement of them is very spotty, and it feels like the rules are not always enforced. I think the school needs to stop toeing the line and pick whether they want to enforce the rule or not.
Nathaniel • Nov 7, 2025 at 9:32 am
I agree that lanyard enforcement has been inconsistent. While I the administration has stated that students caught without lanyards will face punishment, I have not heard of a single student who has received a detention for forgetting their lanyard. I disagree, however, with your claim that keycard IDs are essentially the same as lanyards. As it says in the article, one of the main reasons for transitioning to lanyards is that it is less likely that students will lose them and have to buzz in. While plenty of students still lose their lanyards, it is comparatively easier to keep track of them than the little ID cards. This helps both student safety by reducing the chance that someone outside of our community gets a hold of an ID, and reduces strain on Carolyn, who has to buzz in anyone without an ID.