On July 16, the school announced, with the release of the new parking permits, that student parking would be prohibited in the North parking lot. 

Many junior and senior students have been strongly opposed to this change, as many students now have to walk the path to their first- or second-period classes. However, assistant principal James Schmidt states that the decision is more than an inconvenience for students. 

According to Schmidt, transferring all student parking to the South lot was to consolidate all parking security to one space in order to maximize student safety. “Having two different locations, you thin the resources out, whereas if we put them in one area, we can then heighten security and management resources for [the parking lot],” Schmidt said.

The overarching theme of the new guidelines was that it is in the best interest of the students’ safety and security.  Although this was the primary goal of the adjustment, other issues also contributed to the alteration. 

Schmidt cited the student permit rules to support the decision. Last year, there were several incidents in which students drove between buildings, went to their cars without a counselor-issued pass and performed other actions that the school strictly prohibited. By centralizing all student parking to the South lot, the school is significantly decreasing the likelihood of permit rule violations. 

 Additionally, many students speculate that the new parking restrictions have resulted in the loss of student parking spots. A simple walk on the path proves this, as students can see dozens of empty spaces.  

Despite this, Schmidt assured students that they did not lose any parking spaces. In fact, Schmidt guaranteed that students now have a net positive of at least 10 to 20 parking spaces at the South lot. 

According to assistant principal Craig Fantin, the school is planning to fill the approximately 40 student parking spots at North for buses and similar purposes “down the road,” after sorting out the logistics. 

The loss of those North Building student parking spots is offset by the new parking lot adjacent to the Science Building, which now parks 50 staff members from both the Science Building and the South Building. 

Students now have a grand total of 308 parking spaces at the South Building parking lot, according to dean Christopher Maniatis. 

Schmidt empathized with students and the new routes that they must take, but he kept the school’s vital objectives at the forefront. “We get that there is an inconvenience sometimes because [students are] parking there and going [to] north, but here’s the message I think that’s important to know: safety and security create inconveniences.”