Early bird gets the spot

Student parking arrangements have changed for the first time in years, according to High School Principal Mr. Andrew Rantz.

In previous years, students who had a parking pass were assigned a certain parking spot for the year, said Mr. Rantz, adding that this year students do not have specific parking spots.  He explained that students with parking passes can park in any available spot in the student section, which is located in the rear of the school, near the football field.  Mr. Rantz said that the previous student parking arrangements had been the same since he graduated from Milton High School in 2003.

According to Guidance Secretary Ms. Monica Johnson, 75 students currently have parking passes for the 95 parking spaces available. No parking passes will be given to students once the 95 spaces are filled, she added.

“According to administration, if students cannot find a parking spot they are to park off school grounds,” Ms. Johnson said. To get a parking pass, students need to fill out a parking application, which is available outside the guidance office. They must have their driver’s license with them when they turn it in, she added.

Mr. Rantz said he changed the parking arrangements because there were issues with students not parking in their assigned spots. Last year there were many complaints about students parking in other students’ parking spots, he added.

According to Mr. Rantz, there have been no complaints about the new arrangements. “It’s kind of funny; the kids have claimed their parking spots. I noticed they park in the same spots every day,” he said. Mr. Rantz said he plans to keep this arrangement because it has so far been positive with no issues.

The biggest effect of the change is the distance the students have to walk to the school from their car, said Mr. Rantz. When students’ assigned parking spaces were closer to the school, they could get to the school at any time and walk right in, he said. Now students’ park anywhere, so if they are farther away from the school, it will take them longer to get to the school, he added.

The biggest benefit of the unassigned parking spots is the simplicity of enforcement, said Mr. Rantz. “It removed a layer of complexity and simplified the whole process,” he added. Mr. Rantz said all school officials need to look for is if students are parked in the student section and have a parking pass when checking the cars.