WOODBURY – The bell rings, and students rush out, racing to their cars in order to be the first to leave. As seniors who only get out early during period seven, and who pay for a parking spot all year, we would want priority on getting out from behind the school before underclassmen students’ parents.
As our classmates drive around the back of the school to be able to leave, we get stopped in order to allow the underclassmen’s parents to leave, and while every car passes it feels like an entirety. Then after the parents, comes the buses that are never ending. Then when they are finally done, you’d think ‘oh it’s the student drivers’ turn.’ but you’d be wrong. Parents who are eager to leave go again after the buses. Student drivers have to wait again for another round of cars to go by.
But this isn’t the only issue students are upset about. Parents are parking in front of and behind student parking rows, making it extremely difficult, and more or less impossible to move. Just to be able to get themselves out of their spot, students will sometimes have to drive on the left, to move around parked parents’ cars. These cars also make it very hard to see students walking around them, creating a safety issue.
Senior driver and two-sport athlete, Karli Brandt, also agrees that parents who are parked in the way and blocking her spot affect her after school activities. “When I have after school practice for a team at the school, when parents are in my way, I can’t get down to the field to change for practice. When I’m late for practice, it delays practice start, and my coach holds us longer. This might not seem like a big problem, but by the time I get home from practice and shower and eat my dinner, I have no time to do my homework, and I get to school tired the next day.”
This goes for students that live closer by and are able to go home and change before their practice. When it takes longer to be let out of school grounds, there’s less time for NHS students to get home and change for their practice.
Senior driver and three-sport athlete, Maia Colavito, states the danger she has to be extra mindful of. “[Parked parents] affect me and others getting home safe, because the line of parents’ cars blocks my vision and other students’ visions, meaning that people walking in the parking lot are in more danger. You need to be able to see in order to drive safely and with the least amount of risk, which is greatly hindered by the parent’s cars. They have four other lanes available and have no reason to be using our lane.”
Even though there hasn’t been an accident yet, one is bound to happen with this messy after school parking lot. With all the confusion and chaos, a problem will inevitably arise from the parents which will lead to more easily avoidable problems for all of us.
