UPDATE: An email has been sent out regarding ticketing, beginning May 16, administration will begin issuing parking tickets for those parking illegally or those without a 2015-2016 parking tag.
After campus monitor Jan Bjurstrom left the high school, students have been illegally parking across campus. Students who have paid for parking passes are complaining to administration about not getting a parking spot due to students who do not have tags taking their spots. Students have been creating spots on the grass, yellow dashed undesignated parking spots and even in handicap parking spots.
Associate Principal Jerry Stratton, understands the frustration of students and is trying to fix the issue. “The problem is finding a person or multiple people who have time here and there,” Stratton said. “We don’t have the time to do it as effectively as [Bjurstrom] has, but we’re still writing tickets and I hope that people will just be respectful and park where they’re supposed to.”
Students are arguing that since they paid for a tag, they deserve to be able to park in the lot even if that means parking on the grass or on the yellow striped lines by the lamp posts. “These are the kids that I am frustrated by and really they aren’t hurting me any, but they are hurting their fellow classmates who have went through the system, done what they’re supposed to to have a tag and should have a place to park during the day,” Stratton said. “It’s a difficulty in the office because we know there is a problem out there and were trying to figure out how to manage the lot to guarantee those kids a spots.”
After tweeting out picture of a student parking on the grass captioned with hashtag “Bring Bjurstrom Back,” senior Alec Wray says he is happy with the response. “[People without tags parking in the lot] bothered me a lot and I didn’t know it bothered so many other people until the tweet,” Wray said. “I wasn’t expecting so many likes and retweets but I’m glad that so many people feel the same way and that we need to bring Bjurstrom back.”
Stratton has came up with some ideas of his own to guarantee students, who have paid for their tags, parking spots. “I had the idea of numbering each individual parking spot at the new high school so each student would have the same parking spot everyday reserved for them,” Stratton said. “If someone were to take your spot then you could double park them and let us know and we could take care of it.”
