Parking problems could be solved with assigned places
photo or infographic by Katherine Lee
PARKING LOT WOES. More drivers and students with no parking pass are causing parking problems and tardy issues.
Parking in the student lot is causing students to get tardies because of the overflow of cars and amount of students without parking passes. The problem will continue to grow as more and more sophomores are turning 16 and driving to school.
Administration should assign students designated parking spaces to avoid lack of spots in the student lots and reduce tardies for first and fifth period as well as for students with late arrival.
When students begin driving to school, they are required to purchase a parking pass for either the 830 or CTE lot. Early release kids can park in the 75 lot, but not many of them do. There are only a certain number of passes for each lot because there are a limited number of spaces. Several students drive the whole year without purchasing a parking pass, leading to too many cars and not enough spaces. This happens in the 830 lot because it is the largest and most accessible parking area. Assigned parking would solve the overflow problem as well as the issue with students not buying passes. Each student would have their own space that could not be taken by someone without a pass without repercussions because they would be easier to identify.
Searching for parking is what can lead to students being tardy. This can happen early in the morning but is more common with the late arrival students. By the time they arrive at school, nearly all of the spaces are already occupied. Students can drive around the parking lot for several minutes before they find a spot and the entire thought out plan and timing goes out the window when they can’t find anywhere to park before class. Students scramble to find a spot and are then penalized for being late because they had to walk from the CTE lot, a solution when students cannot find a space in the 830 parking lot.
Teachers and administrators have told students to simply arrive earlier if they want to find a spot and do not want to be tardy. Getting to school early doesn’t solve the problem, it pushes it onto someone else. Regardless of how early a student gets there, the last ones will still be searching for a spot and that may result in a tardy or result in them parking in the lot they do not have a pass for.
The school should start having assigned parking to avoid early morning tardies, having students without parking passes and allow students a secure spot they know they can park in everyday without any issue.
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Heather is a senior on the school’s varsity tennis team. Last Spring, she became a State Champion in Journalism UIL for News Writing in 6A. She made...
