Student IDs

As part of Roanoke City Public Schools' continued efforts to provide a safe learning environment, all students in grades PK-12 receive and use student identification badges (IDs) annually.

Students who use school transportation must scan their ID when entering and exiting the bus. This ensures that students board the right bus and will allow parents/guardians to track their student’s bus.

Visit the Transportation Department webpage for additional information about how students will use their ID to enter and exit the bus, and how parents/guardians can track their student’s bus.

Students can also use their IDs to:

Check out library books at their school and through Roanoke Public Libraries
Early dismissal and tardy check-in
Log in to specific computer programs
Pick up their lunch
Check into the nurse
Enter school-sponsored events
And receive a discounted rate through Valley Metro

ID Procedures & Expectations

Each ID is color-coded by school and has the student’s first name and last initial, photo, bar code, and a QR code.
Students who are in preschool, kindergarten, and 1st grade will have their ID placed in a protective sleeve on the student’s backpack. Students in grades 2-12 will receive a breakaway lanyard and protective sleeve for their ID. Breakaway lanyards release when pulled, which keeps students safe.
Students are expected to bring their ID every day. Students in grades 2-12 are expected to always wear the laynard around their neck during school hours.
Starting September 1, 2026, students must have their ID with them in order to ride the bus. Students who do not have their ID will not be able to board the bus.
The RCPS Student of Conduct will be followed for students who do not wear their ID badge.

If a student loses their ID, families should immediately contact the school, so the ID can be deactivated. The first two ID replacements will be free. Additional replacements must be purchased for $5 from the school.

Families are asked to help students keep track of their IDs and make sure they bring them to school every day.

FAQs

Why has RCPS implemented student IDs?

Student IDs are part of the security and safety enhancements that RCPS presented to the School Board in June 2022. RCPS piloted the IDs at select schools in summer and fall 2023 to test the ID’s functionality and effectiveness. During the 2024-2025 school year, RCPS provided student IDs with full functionality to all students in grades 9-12, and for students who used student transportation in grades PK-8. RCPS fully implemented student IDs during the 2025-2026 school year.

This rollout has allowed RCPS to continue to gauge the effectiveness and implementation.

IDs allow school staff to quickly identify anyone not authorized to be in a school, to know students on a first-name basis, and provide students with easy access to school services and added community benefits, such as accessing Roanoke Public Libraries and Valley Metro.

When will my student receive their ID?

What information is stored on the student ID?

Each student ID contains the student’s first name, picture, and school name. The IDs also digitally hold the student’s ID number, which can only be used to access programs authorized by RCPS.

Badges can be used by a scanner located on RCPS school buses to log the time and location where a student boards and exits the bus. This allows parents/guardians to track their student’s bus. The IDs cannot be used to track a student’s location if they are not aboard a bus.

No personally identifiable information (PII) such as name, grade, campus, or social security number is digitally stored in the student ID.