The Carlisle High School parking lot has long been host to a myriad of emotions: frustration, anger, anxiety, annoyance, and general irritation. These feelings are bound to surface when hundreds of new, teenage drivers in a time crunch are put together in a small lot, but there are ways to lessen them.

According to school records, there are approximately 300 spaces for Carlisle students to park in and about 343 parking passes have been sold. Some students have purchased multiple parking passes since their family might have multiple cars, which could account for some of the surplus passes.

On top of these staggering numbers, many students also choose to park without passes. When counted on a recent school day, Periscope staff members found 90 cars without a parking decal. 

Over and over again, the school administration threatens to fine and tow those cars without parking passes. But the times that this has actually happened are few and far between as the majority of students who choose to park without a pass are reported to only be given a warning slip.

Students who come to school late often struggle to find parking spaces. Drivers have to get creative and really put their parking skills to the test for the few spaces available. When spots get tight, students find new options. This could range from parking by Grace Baptist (the small private school across the street from CHS) or parking in the grass by the greenhouse or even (in the winter months) parking on top of snow piles.

CHS administration recognizes the lack of parking availability and has opened up part of the Swartz clocktower parking lot to students who are unable to park in the main lot of the school. Most student drivers, however, are upperclassmen who have classes in McGowan and have to report to the McGowan Main Office if they are late. This requires the dreaded seven-minute hike from Swartz to McGowan which adds to the anger and frustration which began with not being able to find a parking spot.

To combat this growing problem, the 2018-2019 school year students should come with changes to the outdated parking policies by instituting individually assigned parking spaces. If the school parking lot had numbered spaces, then students could buy a parking pass that correlates to a specific spot.

There is an endless list of the advantages to assigned parking spaces. Drivers would have a much harder time parking without a parking pass and each student would know exactly where to park and would not have to worry that their spot might be stolen. Students could also paint and design their spots which would make the CHS campus even more colorful and unique.

Many other schools across the United States allow their students to paint their parking spaces. Schools such as Lebanon High School in Lebanon, Indiana, Southwestern High School in Carrol, Kentucky, and West Orange High School in Garden, Florida allow their students to customize their parking spots.

Drivers that would like to customize their spot could come in on a designated day before the start of school to paint or otherwise color their places. All other drivers would purchase their space during the school year in the same fashion they do now, at the McGowan office.

The administration would also benefit greatly as because they would be able to know where each student’s car would be. Safety concerns could be handled more quickly. Security would also be able to keep a better track of students coming and going from campus.

As the number of student drivers at CHS continues to increase, the chances of an accident occurring in the parking lot rise too. If the administration is unwilling to follow through on their promises of action against those who park illegally, then permanent changes to the parking lot will need to be made. It is unfair to ask students to pay for a parking pass if other students can park without one every day without suffering any consequences.

Right now, in the midst of increased security and a movement towards stronger school spirit, assigning parking spaces could really make a large impact at CHS.

Disclaimer: Articles designated as “Editorial” represent the views and opinions of the author, not the 2017-2018 Periscope staff, CHS Administration, or the CHS student body.

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