The school needs to provide parking spaces for all students who are able to and want to drive to school. A parking spot at the high school should be a provided resource.
Students are encouraged to get involved in activities, yet it is impossible for most without being able to drive themselves. Many students need to arrive at school early and stay late every day, and students cannot rely on parents who work, or siblings who are busy. So sometimes it is just impossible for students to get home without their car.
There are a total of 445 student parking spots available, and each spot is $165 per semester, which is $330 a year. Although there are a lack of parking spots for upperclassmen, the Deans would like to provide parking spots for all students.
“I think it’s important to park because as students get older in high school, it is a privilege we’d like as many students as possible to have,” Melissa Pikul, dean of students, said. “We definitely think it’s important, and we would love to offer more parking to students.”
All seniors are able to receive a parking spot, but juniors are put into a random selection for the extra spots. This year out of 445 parking spots, only 77 were given to randomly selected juniors out of the 150 juniors who applied for a spot.
Those juniors without spots could have after school activities they must attend to, and by not having a spot, they face many difficulties. Noelle Harada, senior, was in that position last year. Harada applied for a spot her junior year but did not receive one. She had gymnastics immediately following the school day and had to run to Knigge parking lot where she purchased a spot, making her late to practice.
“I think every junior and senior should have a spot, if you are able to drive to school you should have to opportunity to do so,” Harada said. “You have more obligations as an upperclassman that cannot be met by getting to school with the bus.”
Parking is a necessity for many high school students, so the District should allow students to do so for free.
An average family of four spends about $588 for personal necessities each year. That means paying for a yearlong parking spot is taking away more than seven months of that budget, according to the article How the Average American Family Spends Their Income – And How to Trim It, on The Simple Dollar’s website.
Purchasing a parking spot is a huge cut to a family’s budget, and all schools should supply this necessity for students. Parking is an important privilege for students; this issue of limited spots needs to be addressed and become a greater priority.