Issuing Badges To Students - K-12

One of my K12 customers is considering issuing badges to all of their students. They want to start with a pilot initiative and badge only the high school students. I have a meeting scheduled to discuss the details.

What are the considerations and possibilities involved with badging students? What type of badge technology should I advocate (keeping in mind that reader technology upgrades could be a part of this initiative)? For starters, I am thinking a minimum of iClass due to its cashless vending capability. Are schools (K12) using credentials as a means for purchasing?

Any information on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

My 4 year old son goes to a school that requires him to wear a picture ID at all times (with the exception of PE or sports). It is a PVC CR80-sized magstripe card used to check out library books and buy meals at the cafeteria. The school sent a letter home when it was issued notifying us that it would be $20 to replace if lost or damaged.

So far, it has held up rather (surprisingly) well. The card itself is in good shape and the 'bob the builder' lanyard it is attached to doesn't smell too bad.

I know that some schools adopt a 'temporary badge' system, where a new sticker every day can be stuck on clothing. Access Control is tricky with those, and I've only seen barcodes/ barcode readers used for credentialing access, not contactless style.