Parking at school should not be treated like a privilege that students have to compete for; it should be available to all. Yet under the current system, students who do not earn enough “points” are pushed into parking far away at the recs, creating an unfair and unsafe situation for many students.
A parking system should make getting to school easier and safer, not punish students because they cannot stay after school long enough to earn a better spot.
The biggest issue with the current structure is that it does not truly measure responsibility. Many students cannot participate in clubs or after-school activities because they work, play sports outside of school or have other obligations. That does not make them less responsible than students who are able to stay after school to earn points.
In many cases, balancing work and school shows even more responsibility. The system unfairly puts disadvantages on students whose schedules do not allow them to participate in extracurricular activities.
A potential concern is that the school cannot afford to build another parking lot. However, another lot does not need to be expensive or fully paved to solve the problem. The plateau lot already proves that a simpler dirt lot can work.
Some may argue that creating another parking lot would require sacrificing valuable campus space, such as athletic fields. However, the school should prioritize solutions that benefit the largest number of students. While sports are important, safe and accessible parking affects far more students on a daily basis.
Even if creating another lot requires an investment, it is one worth making because it would improve student safety and create a fairer system for everyone. In addition, converting part of an existing field into a simple dirt lot would likely cost far less than building a completely new paved structure.
Students are not demanding a massive, polished parking structure—they simply need another reasonable place to park closer to school. Adding another lot would also discourage students from parking in areas where they do not have passes, since there would no longer be a need to park elsewhere on campus.
It’s understandable that the current system encourages involvement in school activities. However, parking should not be used as a reward that only some students can realistically earn. A student’s ability to safely get to school should matter more than how many extracurricular points they can collect.
Schools should encourage involvement without creating unnecessary disadvantages for students whose schedules look different. The point system could remain in place while still ensuring all students have access to reasonable parking. There should not be a competition just to park safely near the school.
At the very least, seniors should be guaranteed parking in the main lot, while juniors could use the plateau lot or another designated student lot. Many schools already separate parking by grade level because they recognize that older students are more likely to drive themselves to school. The current setup leaves too many students fighting over limited spots despite the clear alternatives.
Safety is also a major concern. Students forced to park at the recs often have to walk across a busy road where cars drive quickly. During bad weather for example, the risk becomes greater. No student should have to risk getting hit by a car because they could not earn enough points for a closer parking pass. If the school does not want students parking in unauthorized lots, then students should not be forced to park so far away in the first place.
The gap between the current parking system and what students actually need is clear. The solution is not complicated: create another accessible lot and remove the pressure that forces students into unsafe and unreasonable options. Until it happens, the system will continue to fail the students it is meant to support.
