Driving to school is seen by many as a privilege to upperclassmen. Students race to the front offices and the cafeteria at the beginning of the year to get their campus parking passes. In a school where efficiency is the name of the game, when it comes to parking, this desperation might be unnecessary.

“Recently I haven’t been able to get a parking spot in any of the lots,” senior Lara Labardini said. “Whereas at the beginning of the year I never had any trouble getting a parking spot.”

Now, Labardini typically parks on the street. She risks being hit by other cars and buses that come through the street during the school day. By paying for a pass, many student drivers get a sense of security and safety because they can park in the lot. 

“I got my parking pass only this year.” senior Caroline Caldwell said. “I didn’t need one last year, and they weren’t available to sophomores in prior years.”

In the past, sophomores weren’t able to attain the $40 parking passes to drive their vehicles to campus. However, two years ago it opened up for sophomores.

“We haven’t oversold for what we’ve done in previous years.” administrator Lesley Fanara said. “The reason so many people can’t find parking is because people are parking in the lot without a purchased pass.”

Students parking without passes in the lot are being pursued, but due to understaffing and lack of information, it can be difficult to take immediate action. 

“Seniors have waited four years for this opportunity,” Labardini said. “I also have off campus athletics first period and it means nothing if I have to arrive at the same time as other students to get a spot.”

The idea of ‘seniority’ is taken quite literally on campus when it comes to driving rights. Many seniors believe in their priority when it comes to the sale of parking passes.

“[Juniors and seniors] have waited all of high school to park in the lot,” senior Tomer Britva said. “And seniors should have a guaranteed spot with our passes.”

The sale of permits to sophomores have been open the past three years, but only because the school had the capabilities to accept more student drivers in the lot.

“We’re not here just to make money,” Fanara said. “We need to have a record of who’s on our property for liability reasons.”

Student drivers are no stranger to the penalties that cause the loss of their parking passes, and although they pay for these passes, Fanara said that driving to and from school is still a privilege.

“An abundance of tickets can be received by incorrect parking and accidentally blocking exits,” Fanara said. “All of these can get your pass taken away.”

Fanara said that safety is always the number one priority of the administration, and unauthorized parking in the lots, and even the lawn has caused much backlash from administrators trying to follow safety protocol. 

“With individuals illegally parking, the level of safety on campus is reduced,” Britva said. “Whether it’s parking in front of fire hydrants, in the grassy areas or blatantly parking in a ‘no parking marked zone,’ students are put at a higher risk.”

While the school has looked at other parking options, whether it be expanding or having assigned spots, unauthorized parking continues to be the main issue. An alternate problem emerging is some students with permits parking in the street early in the morning in order to get out quickly when the last bell rings. 

“Consequently, there’s no more street parking for students without passes,” Fanara said. “Then they will typically park, unauthorized, in the lot. It’s just a vicious cycle.”

The administration office receives pictures of illegally parked vehicles frequently, so they can find the drivers license and registration in order to properly ticket them.

“We are diligently looking those kids up,” Fanara said. “And slowly but surely they’re going to catch the drift.”