The problem of student drivers parking in the teacher parking lot has caused many teachers to come to school not being able to find a parking spot. Students drivers usually get to campus earlier than teachers and often leave campus without permission to get food, alongside teachers who want to grab lunch. This situation leads to a race to get a parking spot, leaving many teachers frustrated.

“With my observations and also talking to other administrators and teachers, it seems that this is an ongoing problem,” assistant principal Jason Harris said. “I think part of it is our fault because we do allow the students to park in certain sections of the teacher parking during band season when the band has to use or share some of the student parking lot. So we do allow that to take place during band season and after band season, then students should be all in parking student sections. I think there’s some clarity that needs to be made there so I think this is an ongoing issue.”

Although some students have gotten away with parking in the teacher parking lot, the students who are caught have to face the consequences.

“If they know who they are, they will ask them to move, let them know that they shouldn’t be parking there,” Harris said. “If they don’t, then of course, we have the student parking decals or we can get the license plate and then we identify the student that way and notify them that they should not be parking back there.”

While most students know where they are not supposed to be parking, some students don’t know where the teacher parking lots are in comparison to the student parking lots.

“Where all of the teacher parking lots are located–we have the north parking lot,” Harris said. “We also have the north east parking lot that’s behind the gym. There and also the south parking lot here at the front. So that would mean that, looking at the east parking lot over here, that’s all student parking.”

While most students know that they are parking in the teacher parking lot, there is a reason behind it.

“I think students park in the teacher parking lot because it’s easier to get to their car,” junior Tyler Hogg said. “Sometimes it’s a lot closer to their classes than going all the way to the student parking lot.”

While some students have a respect for the teacher parking lot, other students think it is more convenient for students and that students should have the privilege to park in the teacher parking lot on certain days.

“I think that students should be able to park in the teacher parking lot only if they have certain classes on certain days,” Hogg said. “Like if you had late arrival one day then you could do it, but if you don’t you shouldn’t be able to.”

While some students don’t understand the benefit to parking in the teacher parking lot, others do.

“It would be being able to get to your car very quickly because the student parking lot is a lot further than the teacher parking lot,” Hogg said. “It’s all about your partibility.”

While students parking in the teacher parking lot is an ongoing issue, administrators plan to fix the issue.
“To help rectify this issue, I know that Rick [Martin] has put the signs up, when band season had ended, saying here on out you need to park within the student parking lot,” Harris said. “Parking is still tight and we continue to have issues with students parking, especially on the north parking lot, the side where the sporting and athletic complex is. This is an ongoing problem. What we’ll do is sit down and review issues and so forth as an administrati on what we can do next year to improve.”