For Seminole students, especially those who have off-campus classes or free periods at the beginning of the day, parking is a nightmare. Students arrive to find parking lots packed full of cars, most of which do not have parking passes on them. Parking is a source of frustration, stress, and time wasted for many students. Finding a parking spot takes longer than expected, leading to delays and most times resulting in student tardiness.
Parking passes for the school year went on sale this year on July 14th at midnight through MySchoolBucks. Seminole High School has a large student driver population, so it was no surprise when parking passes sold out within days. The cost of a standard parking pass was $80 while the reserved “Senior spots” were $180. When students purchased these spots, they expected they would have the convenience of an easy parking experience.
Since parking pass sales were limited and not oversold, a problem occurs when people without parking passes choose to park in a spot. Charging for these spots helps divide these high demand parking spaces among those who need them. It is understandable why those who paid expect to find an empty spot within a reasonable time.
Students parking in the lot without passes also imposes a safety concern. An anonymous student says: “When I went to pick up my parking pass, I signed an agreement saying I would be a responsible driver on campus, gave them my license plate number, and made a copy of my driver’s license. The process was easy but also thorough”. This may seem like an extensive process, but it’s in place for a reason. Without this system, it would be hard to hold drivers on campus accountable. When students ignore the system in place, it raises a concern of who is driving on our campus.
Senior Alexis Davis has a positive outlook on this year’s parking situation now that she has a reserved spot. She says: “I know who I park next to and I trust them to not cause any damage to my car. I do however wish that the parking was less expensive or there were more security cameras in place in case something were to happen.” The time in which she arrives at school combined with her reserved spot helps her to arrive at her classes stress-free and on time.
It seems as if reserved parking for all students may be a viable solution for the problems that happen in the parking lot. However, Seminole Administration sent an email out over the summer stating that they will “not [be] assigning parking spots for the general parking spaces as we have for the last two years. We will be completing regular security sweeps in the school parking lots and will be towing those cars without parking decals daily”. Administration is now beginning towing and ticketing violating students.
Now that these issues are being addressed, get to campus early and take a mental note of your surroundings. Hold your fellow drivers responsible for their behavior and do your best to inform them. Driving and behaving responsibly on campus is important for your safety and others.