Q: What sparked the idea for assigned parking?

A: “Sometimes it takes you a while to get the hang of things. Last year with the amount of kids who parked on campus that shouldn’t be was tough. It made our parking lot a free for all, and we don’t want that.” Rauch said. “We started talking about it last March, but the ball got rolling towards the end of the school year.”

Q: How do you see assigned parking impacting the student body?

A: “I think assigned parking will impact the student body in many different ways. For example, students will have to leave the house earlier to get into their parking spot. I think it will help them to manage their time,” Assistant Principal Rauch said.

Q: Do teachers have assigned parking?

A: “Teachers do not have assigned parking, but they have assigned lots,” Rauch said.

Q: Are there any new rules for parking?

A: “You are not allowed to back in, and your parking sticker has to be on the bottom left of the rear window,” Rauch said. “It’s also tied to the tardy system; if a student has 3 tardies to first period the student will lose their parking pass for 5 days and that will continue as often as that happens. If they have 12 tardies then the student will lose their parking pass for 10 days plus the normal suspension and loss of exemption.”

Q: What was the process of changing parking from free park to assigned parking?

A: “We had to have the lot painted and numbered. We had to sit down and take a long hard look at the spots we have available,” Rauch said. “With as many kids we have in 11^th and 12^th grade, teachers, administration, staff, maintenance men and cafeteria workers we had to take all these things into consideration.”

Q: How has the feedback been?

A: “Were not having sophomores park at this point, so it’s a combination of parents being concerned [with] why we’re doing it now and the kids don’t like it because they might not get to park in the parking lot they want.” Rauch said.

Q: Was everyone on administration in favor of the new parking?

A: “Everyone on administration was on board; it was unanimous,” Rauch said.

Q: How do you plan on handling those who got inconvenient parking spots?

A: “You have to go with the spot you got, the parking pass is connected with your license plate number” Rauch said. “There will be consequences and we will catch up to you.”

Q: Are you increasing security on the parking lots?

A: “There is always an officer sitting in the gravel parking lot. We’re in the process of looking into taking care of the parking lot security. We’ve also been telling kids to help their friends out and pick them up from their spot in the mornings.” Rauch said.

Q: Are students allowed to swap parking spots?

A: “Students cannot swap parking stickers, the parking pass is connected to your license number,” Rauch said. “If your parents want to know if you’re at school first we will check your classroom then we will check your parking spot. If we check it, and you’re here your car should be in that space not someone else’s.”

Q: How many times throughout the year will parking stickers be sold?

A: “Parking stickers will be sold at the beginning of each semester and the rest will be first come first serve.” Rauch said.

Q: What should students who park on campus now know?

A: “Take care of each other, if you see something going on tell us. Follow the rules because it will just cause problems.” Rauch said.

Q: How do you feel about the new parking?

A: “There was nothing wrong with the parking system before, first come first serve made more sense,” Senior Logan Shea said. “Things were fine before but now there are so many rules and they’re making it difficult to park.”

Q: Will this affect your day by parking in an assigned spot?

A: “Being a part of Cross Country, my new assigned parking spot will make my mornings very difficult. I have to be at school early for practice and now I’ll have to walk across campus alone to make it to practice,” Junior Brenda Villarreal said. “Athletes may end up far away from where they need to be, forcing us to leave a lot earlier just to make it to practice.

Q: Do you feel the assigned parking is fair to all students?

A: “Assigned parking is very unfair to students especially the athletes that have to get to school early,” Shea said. “A lot of athletes with early morning practices will be affected because they’ll have to walk around half the campus alone before school hours to get to practice. It’s not safe or fair.”

Q: Will assigned parking allow you park more efficiently?

A: “Being a tennis player I need a spot near the courts and same goes with all other sports,” Senior Jonny Groff said. “It just makes it harder on some of the athletes who end up with a unlucky spot”.

Q: How do you see the parking policy affecting the student body?

A: “Assigned parking is only making more restrictions and rules for us,” Senior Brandon Allen said.

Q: Why do you think assigned parking will help?

A: “Assigned parking will help because I have late arrival and by having an assigned spot I’ll be guaranteed a spot every day,” Groff said.

Q: Do you like your parking spot?

A: “I have a big truck that I can’t park well and giving me a parking spot between two cars is going to be a huge hassle,” Shea said. “I liked the parking before because I could choose a spot that I could easily park in.”

Q: Do you agree with the way parking spots were chosen?

A: “I don’t agree with how spots were chosen,” Villarreal said. “I wish I was able to choose from spots closer to where I have to be in the mornings.”

Q: If you could improve one thing about the new parking policy what would it be?

A:  “If I could improve anything I would keep it the way it was, we already had to pay for stickers so we should park wherever we want,” Senior Margarita Castro said.

Q: Do you think parking will help traffic?

A: “Assigned parking wont help with the traffic because there’s already a ton of cars so assigning parking wont change that,” Allen said.

Q: How do you feel the students will react to the new policy?

A: “I believe it will take the students a little getting used to the new policy, not everyone likes change,” Senior Taylor Height said. “Most students wont like being confined to one spot but as the year goes on everyone will eventually stop caring.”

Q: Do you think students should have had a say in the new policy?

A: “Students should have had a say because it’s our school and we spend more time here than at home,” Castro said. “Students should have been allowed to vote on it.”

“Students should have a say in where we park because it’s our campus we should park where we want,” Junior Gabby Torres said.

Q: Do you think teachers should have assigned spots as well?

A: “I don’t think students or teachers should have assigned spots because it just makes everything more difficult,” Allen said.