On Tuesday March 12, 2024, WCHS announced that a new open parking policy would be enacted starting on April 1, 2024. This new parking policy makes parking available for everybody, including students and administrators. This is causing great controversy as parking has been a major issue at WCHS for the past few years as parking policies and locations continuously change. It has been revealed that this new parking policy will be upheld at WCHS in the coming school years.
“I think this is great! I always get to school at a time when lot parking is still available but have been assigned street parking” WCHS freshman Tucker Man said. “This means I do not have to rush to get to school to get a spot. I could pull up at whatever time before the bell and still get parking.”
Not only will parking be open for seniors and administrators, but parking will now be open to all grades, including freshmen and sophomores. There will also be no need for students to parallel park because whoever ends up with street parking can now park as if it were a lot spot.
“Parallel parking is difficult and adds unneeded stress to morning” WCHS official parking manager Gains Borough said. “I think this is the best choice for parking because it lets everyone have a fair chance at the ‘better’ parking spots.”
Having open parking is beneficial for all students as it allows a free-for-all and lets students who prioritize getting to school on time or early get the spots closer to the school. It also prevents students who would be on time but have street parking from being late due to the sometimes long walks to the building, depending on the spots available.
“This creates an incentive for students to get to school earlier,” Borough said. “It also is a guaranteed ‘reward’ for students who prioritize getting to school on time. If a student is already going to be late, why not add whatever walking time a street spot could add? Being late is being late no matter how late a student is.”
Opening parking to juniors, sophomores, and freshmen not only makes it easier for families to commute but also enhances their learning of real-life skills. This new parking policy also puts into perspective for administrators why parking has been such an important topic and has sparked such controversy.
“I love being able to drive to school now. It doesn’t even matter that I didn’t buy a parking permit but I also don’t even have my learner’s permit. It just makes everything easier now that I can drive myself to school. It made the transition from middle school to high school more drastic, but especially not having to worry about parallel parking with the new parking policies” Man said.
