Atlanta

More than 100 students locked out of Atlanta high school for not having ID

ATLANTA — More than 100 students say they were forced to wait outside for hours at an Atlanta high school because of strict school ID requirements.

Atlanta Public Schools spokespeople told Channel 2′s Audrey Washington that they told students and parents that no one was allowed inside the building without a school ID.

On Tuesday, dozens of students at Frederick Douglass High School forgot their IDs and had to stand outside.

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Trenice Smith, 18, was one of those students outside and out of luck.

“We were just standing outside. All these students standing outside,” she said.

Smith said she did not know the school would enforce the policy so strongly when they returned from Fall Break.

She added that some students didn’t know what to do, so they walked home.

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Officials with Atlanta Public Schools released a statement to Channel 2 Action News that read in part:

…at Frederick Douglass High School approximately 100 students could not enter the building because they did not have their school-issued identification cards. Over the past few weeks, school administrators at Douglass have communicated to students and families that students would be required to wear their ID cards at all times in the building.

Officials went on to state that the added protocol was to enhance the safety and security of the school environment. They added that providing a safe and secure place to learn was their top priority.

But Smith believes the shut out went too far.

“I called my mom because they had us standing out ‘til almost 12 o’clock,” she told Washington.

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Smith told Washington that she and many others made sure they had their school IDs on Wednesday.

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