It’s safe to say that almost every student who can drive has complained about the frustrating parking situation that overtook Mount Vernon High School this school year. By 8 a.m., the parking lots are full and students are forced to park on the streets or squeeze into a non-existent spot in the lot. This causes major traffic when students leave school for the day. Students may have to park their cars in between the middle school and elementary school and walk to the high school. Since construction is underway, large vehicles need to get through and if cars are parked in the street or in non-existent locations, it could become dangerous. It’s obvious that rules need to be put in place regarding parking.

I believe that students who live in Stonebrook should be required to walk to school. It’s more efficient than using gas and driving to the high school. Students who live in Stonebrook may complain about the cold or having to walk, but if it’s cold outside, those students could either carpool or bundle up. Elementary and middle school students walk to school every day, so why can’t high school students? I live 10 minutes out on West Mount Vernon Road, and other students are as far as 15-20 minutes out of town. It’s unfair that students who only live a couple blocks from school get a parking spot when students who actually need to drive to school have to fight for one. This solution would cut down the amount of cars driving down the road in the morning, and free up access to the parking lots, too.

Creating strict rules about parking would eliminate complaints from students, and keep access to the lot flowing smoothly. Overall, limiting students who live in Stonebrook their driving privileges would create less of a pain for the staff and student body, while also cutting traffic entering the high school each day. Making this solution a reality would generate a positive reaction regarding parking problems, while also abolishing all talk about the topic.