School ID’s have always been a thing. In the past few years, they have become more
important for a myriad of reasons, and schools (including Mountain View) have made them an
essential part of the high school experience. This experience, however, is changing; we no longer
hold physical IDs at MV– now it’s all digital.

The reasons for the switch are many, but primarily MV switched because the digital student
IDs offer a higher level of security compared to traditional physical cards, according to the Dean
of Students Todd Clark. “Whether students use their phones or Chromebooks, our app Minga is
accessible to everyone, whereas in the past, multiple students would show up without their
physical IDs, making it unsuccessful to determine if the student is safe or not to be at the
School.”

So far, one of the only drawbacks is the communication between user cell phones and the
system itself. “There can be issues at times where the phones or other electronics can’t support
the system. We provide other solutions, including utilizing the old plastic ID cards in
conjunction with our infinite campus,” said Clark.

Although they don’t load the fastest, the new switch benefits Mountain View by
supplying live information as quickly as needed regarding student safety. Doing so prevents
unauthorized access. All-in-all, the system will be beneficial for our school. “The primary benefit
is the accessibility of information relating to school safety,” said Clark. “In other words, it should
be safer for everyone in the building.”