Ella Ashby

A student ready to drive home after a long day of school.

It’s 3:40. The bell rings, and the scramble begins. Just as I think I’ve got an opening, I’m suddenly cut off, not by a student, but by somebody’s… dad? Any student who drives themself to and from school knows the struggle of getting in and out of the three student lots available for students with parking passes. The latest epidemic of parents thinking they can do whatever they want isn’t only exhausting, but dangerous. There’s a drop-off and pick-up line available for a reason, and I’m begging parents to have some decency and use it.
There is absolutely no reason why a parent should be parked in the student parking lot, but to my surprise, even during the school day, I’ve seen parents sitting in their cars. Even though this random adult who’s pulled in next to me is likely someone’s parent, it could also be someone with more malicious or dangerous intentions.
While students aren’t supposed to be in the parking lots during the day, there are many reasons why someone might need to be, and why the parking lots should be kept safe even despite that. Some students at West leave early since they have no fourth period, or early arrival due to having classes at the Career Center. People being in the parking lots who have no right to be there not only clogs up parking spots for actual students, but causes unnecessary traffic.
Dismissal at West is already an absolute nightmare with our enormous student body, but when everyone follows the traffic rules and patterns, we can manage to get out of school in an orderly and somewhat timely manner. When a parent parks in the middle of a lane in second lot, enters a parking lot the wrong way, or drives recklessly and cuts off students, it’s a huge disruption to traffic flow, and has caused multiple accidents over the years.
The outrageous parental audacity in our parking lots is seriously out of hand. At this point, the behavior shown by parents on many occasions seems openly hostile, and I can only hope that the message to use the correct line someday gets through their thick skulls.