Many teenagers can hardly wait for the day that they get their license. With a license come responsibility, fees and a new found independence. Even more exciting is when you no longer have to ride the bus to school anymore and can simply drive yourself.
Stoughton High school has a strict parking policy that applies to both juniors and seniors. It eliminates the possibility of riding shot gun in your parents’ cars or the dreaded yellow school bus.
Yet, nothing in life is free except Kodak moments, and neither is the hefty $60 fee you must pay to get a valid parking permit.
It does seem a steep price to pay for a parking spot. Especially in today’s economy where gas prices are being raised and expenses are piling up. Many students feel that the school should offer more equitable options. (It is also a difficult pill to swallow, when some schools, like Canton and Attleboro, don't even require a fee. They simply ask for a registration).
Many students have also voiced concerns about the disparity between the students that pay to park and the ones that don’t pay and still seem able to get away with parking in the lot.
While driving to school is a privilege, there are some underclassmen taking advantage of the parking situation at SHS. It is a known fact that only juniors are allowed to park in the middle school lot. Yet many underclassmen, as soon as they get their license, are sidling in to junior spaces.
Seniors, rather choicely, are allowed designated spots in the cafeteria lot and on Adams St. But this too is a mixed bag. And while most of the concern isn’t paying, per se, students do feel that your dollar isn’t getting you what you deserve. Many juniors invade the parking spaces of the seniors, and some students, both seniors and juniors, have not even paid the fee and park for free. It seems unjust that these teen drivers think that they can get away with it and unfair to the students who have paid.
However, there was one point when the administration stepped in and took action: handing out warnings to all unmarked vehicles. Many students left school that day and were greeted by a bright pink slip on their windshields.
Do I think that this ONE action made a difference? No, because I still continue to see juniors park on Adams St. day after day. It is a persistent issue that I see probably not getting resolved. However as long as seniors and juniors can function in a driver-friendly environment, I am sure that it will work out.
Only a handful of days are left for Stoughton High School students, and I am sure that when they are gone and that next school year begins in September, many students will continue to take advantage of the students who pay for spots on both the Adams St. and the cafeteria lot. Good luck