By Michael Rothberg

The security staff, in conjunction with the administration, will now require people not affiliated with Harvard-Westlake to carry identification cards when using the upper school track.

Head of Security Jim Crawford proposed this new requirement. It has the full support of the administration, he said.

“The idea was mine and has full support from the heads of school,” Crawford said.  “My thinking was with all the people that run on campus, how do we really know who everyone is?”

To obtain a track ID, runners must fill out an application to be reviewed by the security staff. If accepted, they will then be entered into the school database.

The application requires applicants to include their name, date of birth, address and phone number.

The track ID is free for those who qualify and will include a photo of the runner.

Thus far, the school has received 75 applications and rejected two because they lived too far from the upper school campus, said Crawford.

“With Megan’s Law and other data available to the public, it seemed prudent to check everyone who is on our campus, for our safety and for the safety of our neighbors who enjoy our track,” Crawford said.

Card holders will be able to bring one guest with them to run on the track.

“We will be adamantly enforcing this new policy effective Jan. 1,” Crawford said. “However, many of our neighbors already have their cards.”