One morning, junior Martin True was rushing through the school parking garage, driving faster than usual in an effort to make it to powerlifting on time, when he was stopped by Chief of Police Mark Rowden. When asked about his speed, True explained he was running late. Rowden took down his name and let him go, but shortly after, True was called to the assistant principal’s office, where he was assigned three days of lunch detention.
With more and more concerns over speeding and parking violations, administrators are taking steps to enhance the safety of the student parking garage, to ensure that parking violations, including speeding, are addressed properly.
“If it’s a safety violation, like a driving issue, it gets reported to the principal, and we follow through with consequences as part of school discipline,” assistant principal Michelle Shumate said. “The first consequence is lunch detention, but if it happens again, there could be more severe consequences like ISS [In-School Suspension] or even losing parking privileges.”
To help prevent violations, students are told about these rules and consequences before the school year begins.
“When they pick up their parking stickers, we tell them where the parking information is located in the garage…two or three times during the school year, depending on the behavior or reports from students in the garage, we send out information via Skyward email, the Scots Weekly, and the announcements,” Shumate said.
In addition to the increased enforcement of parking violations, other measures have been taken to make the garage a safer place for student drivers, including renovations to improve lighting and speed awareness.
“The safety measures include plans to upgrade lighting in the garage and improve visibility in blind spots,” school police officer Michael Bridgewater said. “There may also be additional measures like speed bumps, speed radars, and other safety improvements in the works.”
These new safety measures are part of a continuous effort to reduce accidents and improve overall safety. Speeding is one of the most significant concerns in the garage, especially with many new drivers trying to navigate it at its most crowded hours.
“We have a lot of new drivers, which is part of the issue,” Bridgewater said. “Right now, there are enough parking rules, like guidelines about not parking in student or visitor spaces, but the challenge is getting everyone to follow them.”
Most of the focus in the garage now is on enforcing these rules and making sure that students are aware of them and following them properly. Students are noticing improvements, but some say there are still areas that need heavy attention.
“I’ve seen some people go some pretty crazy speeds in there and maybe go up different ways they’re not supposed to,” True said.
The challenge of keeping the garage safe for everyone still continues despite the current rules in place, especially with a few drivers choosing not to follow them. To address this, the high school is increasing the presence of police and security officers.
“Our role is to be out there and remind everyone to stay vigilant,” Bridgewater said. “We remind people to be cautious of pedestrians and to slow down…Our presence and reminders help increase awareness.”
Despite all of the measures in place, challenges persist particularly during the busy morning hours when students are rushing to park and get to class.
“Everyone is trying to get to their space, and with a 15 to 20-minute window to get everyone parked and out, it does pose safety concerns.” Ms. Shumate said. “People are rushing to get to class, including teachers. We are looking at ways to improve safety and make sure pedestrians, like students walking out, are kept safe.”
After an incident where a mother was hit by a car in the garage, there was an increase in new police presence such as Chief of Police Mark Rowden. He waits behind blind spots in the garage to catch people speeding and pull them over.
“They’re on the lookout for things that are causing harm. I know a mom got hit in the garage a couple weeks ago, so they’re definitely doing a better job,” True said.
Students who were recently given lunch detention for speeding now think twice about their speeds in the garage showing that the punishment is effective.
“I feel like I learned my lesson when he [Rowden] just stopped me and told me I needed to slow down,” True said. “I should’ve been more cautious with how I was driving.”
With the continued efforts to improve safety in the garage, both the school and the students are working together to ensure a safer environment for all. The measures in place are making a difference but there is still room for improvement.
“Overall, they do a pretty good job of slowing down and following the rules,” Shumate said. “Given how crowded and difficult it can get, our students really do manage the garage well.”
