Despite students complaints about parking tickets, the new parking policy is working very well.

The new policy is creating a disciplined system which has solved many of the problems that security has had to deal with over the past eight years.

At the beginning of the year, security issued many tickets because students did not to display their permits, but those numbers have decreased greatly because students have learned after their first infraction to display their passes, head of security Buddy Sekely said.

Many students have complained that $15 is a steep fine for making the easy mistake of forgetting to display a small piece of plastic, but the fine is much steeper at other schools. For example, Lee, South Lakes and Chantilly charge $25.

Although students complain that it is illegal to keep the permit on the rear view mirror, the law actually only states that nothing can come down more than four inches past the top of the windshield; the passes do not violate that rule.

The school uses the permits instead of stickers because the permits are supplied by the county. All schools in the county have the same permits just with their school name on them.

The biggest benefit of the new parking policy is that so many students can be issued permits. The security office has issued permits to more than 40 students who would have been on the waiting list last year. At the end of last year there were 265 students with permits and 20 students on the waiting list, while this year there are 298 students with permits and permits are still for sale at a reduced price. Everyday so far there have been at least 60 spaces left open. The extra parking spaces leave the security office the ability to sell passes to students for a reduced price over the course of the year. Sophomores who will be getting their licenses during the second semester will greatly benefit by this. Sekely said that last year sophomores who wanted permits did not even get talked to.

The new system also saves the security staff the hassle of having to reject students for priority stats. Many parents have questioned the security office asking, “Why is that student better than my son/daughter?” Students who participate in activities such as Madrigals and have to be at school early still get the best spots because they are there early enough that none of the spaces have been taken. Students who are in band, newspaper, or yearbook can move their cars to the front of the school right after school is over. If anyone needs a good space, then they just have to come a few minutes early to get a priority spot. If students are not willing to wake up a few minutes earlier to get a good spot, then getting a good spot must not be that important.

The final benefit is that the alarming number of car break-ins last year has been reduced to none. The security staff checks the parking lots anywhere from two to six times a day, which means they are spending much more time patrolling the parking lots, preventing the break-ins.

Sekely also said that students are not supposed to share passes when one of the cars is not registered for that permit, but the security staff does not care as long as there is only one car for the one permit each day.

The current situation is the best possible situation for all parties. Students get to choose their spots. If they want a good spot, then they can show up early enough to get one, which is all of ten minutes earlier at most. The new policy is allowing the security staff to do its job to the best of its ability. It is allowing them to better monitor the school, protect our property, and help as many students as possible.