That's a good question.. and the honest answer is that I don't remember. This was Vermont, around 1997-1998. Back then things seemed pretty relaxed.. I don't remember what kind of forms I filled out, but I know I didn't have ID yet. Presumably things have changed...

In Missouri I just needed my social security card and birth certificate, but that was also around the same time frame. I think similar requirements still stand.

You can't require a photo ID to get a photo ID or else that'd be a catch-22

On DL, 15-17 yearolds do not need to be "UMs" for purposes of wearing the silly button/necklace/whatever. Mine is adamant that she doesn't want to, and I'm happy to save the $100 fee (my refundable ticket is purchased & BP printed already). But she's visiting her maternal grandparents, so they won't have the same name as her when it's time to clear security on the way back -- and I don't want to lose waste the $100 at that end...

I'm saying that most students in the US get a student ID in college, not K-12. Requiring a student ID of people 17 and under is like requiring a driver's license from people 15 and younger; it's requiring something that most people cannot get.

Kids under 18 don't need to see I.D. If a teenager looks close to 18, I'll ask their age, but I take their word for it. Never seen or heard of a screener demanding proof that someone is under 18.

OTOH, many 16-year-olds are eager to whip out their new drivers licenses and I am happy to oblige them.

That's nice to hear. Nonetheless, my 14 year old is easily 4 inches taller than me (and I'm over 6 ft), and the next time he flies his passport card will be with him. I just cannot take the chance one of your colleagues won't be as willing to comply with the law.

Not disagreeing to for the sake of disagreement, but junior high and high school ID is as common as dirt and has been for decades.

That's news to me. I did not have one, not did my sibling, nor did Mrs. ralfp. We went to public and private schools in different states.

Maybe I'm just getting old enough that my memories of K-12 are no longer relevant.

Decades? I never had a school ID of any kind, period, including at college.

What are you saying about K-12 student ID are no longer existing? I am never useable with students ID since I went to schools in Florida. That I am used with identification all of the time. Because it was simply two way different student ID or college, too.

I escorted my 14 year old UM thru security last weekend. She whipped out her HS ID card for the ID monkey, who dutifully magic flashlighted it. kinda cracked me up :-)

The funny part is that kids know these rules too. I've had one instance where a 17 y/o came through the checkpoint talking about his birthday coming up the next month. Several months later he attempted to tell me that he was 17 when in fact he had turned 18. He had his ID ready just in case I called his bluff. He told me that he still tells people that he's 17 so he doesn't have to show his ID. I just told him not to do anything to get himself in trouble and sent him on his way.

Honestly, there's no way to tell if someone is 17 or 18. Most of the time, like previously mentioned, the 16 year olds are eager to flash their license (like I was when I turned 21). But if they claim to be 17 and they appear somewhat close to it, I'd just take their word for it. The day will come when their youthful looks won't work anymore. Enjoy it while you can.