Marcus Hijkoop
Features Editor
As an upperclassmen, legal driver, and owner of a parking pass, junior Emily Smith* was excited by the opportunities her car provided her. Craving her favorite Chicken Salad Melt, Emily got into her car at the beginning of her free lunch block and drove towards the parking lot exit.
Before pulling out onto Farm Road, Emily was unexpectedly stopped by a parking officer. When she failed to produce a senior student identification card, Emily was told she could not leave school. Frustrated, Emily returned to the cafeteria to discover she was not the only junior denied off campus access.
Thwarted in their attempts to go off campus, many juniors such as Emily have now voiced complaint amongst each other over the “new driving rules”. However, according to assistant principal, Dr. Veronica LeDuc, “The rules regarding parking and driving privileges have been in place for over a decade.”
Though the rules remain the same, students and staff agree that there has been stricter enforcement of the rules this school year. “I think this year we’ve tried to see that our rules are implemented,” Dr. LeDuc said. “Last year we were experimenting with fewer staff, but this year we have more, so now students that leave campus are only students that have permission to leave.”
As stated in the NCHS Student Handbook, “Freshmen and Sophomores must remain on campus throughout the school day,” while, “Juniors and Seniors, in good standing and with parental permission, may enter and leave the campus during unassigned times except, for Juniors, during the lunch block (10:59 AM – 12:19 PM).”
Senior Jake Rosenstein said, “The rules are being more strictly enforced this year. Last year I knew juniors weren’t allowed off campus during the lunch block, but I did break the rule and was never caught leaving.”
Despite the fact that the rules have not changed, due to stricter enforcement, some juniors remain adamant that, “The new rules are ridiculous,” Emily said. “I was able to enjoy a nice lunch or free period out my freshman and sophomore year without a problem. The freedom was a privilege and everyone treated it as such; no one took advantage of our ability to go off campus. Now it all sucks.”
According to Dr. LeDuc, “The idea behind the rules is to progressively increase the freedoms and the flexibility kids have with their schedules. Juniors are also less experienced drivers, and the worry is that they would rush out during lunch and there would be a safety issue.”
Another disputed safety precaution is the speed limit on campus. While the speed limit is merely 15 miles per hour (the legal limit for all school zones) “I don’t think anyone really knows there’s a speed limit,” senior Abby Hoelzer said. “Most people probably drive 30 miles per hour, and a few go a little faster depending on the circumstances.”
Such circumstances include deliberately breaking school rules, according to junior Emily. “Excessive speed is of course used during a ‘Great Escape,’ when we jump up on the grass and drive out the Waveny dirt lot, or when we try to avoid a parking guard while getting off campus,” she said.
Some juniors even break the school rules to find parking, which is not guaranteed for all juniors, costs more than parking for seniors, and becomes scarcer throughout the school year, when more students get their licenses.
“I paid fifty dollars for my parking pass, but I can never find parking in the junior lot, so I park in the faculty lot,” junior Justin Pertierra said.
While the capacity of the school parking lot cannot easily be altered, Dr. LeDuc said that difference in cost between a junior and senior parking pass will be looked into. As for the other campus policies, Dr. LeDuc said no changes are expected during the current school year.
Juniors say they remain angered and confused by the rules. “Obviously, if we are permitted to drive to school we should be able to get off throughout the day without a problem, whether during lunch block or not,” Emily said.
“It seems pointless to get an off campus pass when you can’t even leave the school during triple lunches,” Justin said. “I’d really like to know the reasoning behind it all.”
While increased staff has resulted in stricter enforcement, Dr. LeDuc said, “I did have a couple of parents say that they were happy to hear that the parking and driving privileges are being more strictly monitored this year.”
Senior Colin Dolan suggested, “Maybe there were more complaints from parents. I think the stricter enforcement will lead to a lot of annoyed and aggravated students and probably won’t work in the long run; us kids are clever buggers.”
* Name has been changed
I agree that if a student is allowed to drive to school and park there, he or she should also be able to leave. Cartoon says it all.