Many believe parking inside would be safer and reduce tardiness, while the school worries about space, safety, and responsibility.

Students at The Columbus School want permission to park inside school property instead of leaving their cars on nearby streets. They believe this change would improve safety, reduce daily stress, and help them get to class on time. The school, however, still has concerns about space, costs, and safety rules.

The reuest for student parking inside the school has become a major topic. Students and parents say walking from the car to the school is unsafe, especially when crossing roads. They argue that a parking area on campus could reduce risks and make mornings less stressful. The school administration has never been okay with it, which shows the challenge of balancing student needs with school rules.

“As I said before, maybe that only 12 graders can park inside, and that you come with multiple students, so it doesn’t get really busy inside, for example come with like 3 people in the car or more. This way, it will be effective and everyone gets a good thing out of the deal,” said Sara Gomez, 12th Grade student.

One suggestion was to allow only seniors or cars carrying at least three students to park inside. This way this rule would reduce overcrowding, keep traffic inside school more organized, and make the parking system more fair and easier for everyone.

“My parents, for example, are super agreeing with my opinion, because they think it’s not very safe to walk around with strangers in the morning and in the afternoons, in every schedule. So they will really like it and they know I’m a very mature and responsible person, so they know I am going to handle it well, the permission to park inside.” Sara Gomez stated.

For families, the parking debate is mostly about safety. Parents worry about students walking alone near strangers or crossing busy roads. Many believe that mature students can handle the responsibility of parking on school property.

“As I said before, since we don’t have to walk very long distances, we will just be getting out of our car and going right to the class. It will make our tardies less, since we’re very close to the classrooms,” Sara explained.

Students argue that parking inside the school would help with punctuality. Right now, long walks from off-campus parking spots often cause delays, making students late to class. If cars were closer to classrooms, mornings would be less stressful and tardiness would likely decrease.

“Some rules or systems that needed to be managed for students to park early are maybe opening like a student only parking space inside the school, and where they make all the precautions to make students sign agreements so that the school is not responsible for anything that happens. I think it would be very good. And that way, both the school and the students have an advantage. And it would be good for both of them,” Alicia Baquero, a 12th Grade student said.

Students have suggested creating a contract between drivers and the school to allow parking inside. They believe such an agreement would make students responsible for their own cars and actions, while protecting the school from liability. This compromise could give students safe parking access without adding risks for the administration.

“My parents, for example, think it’s very important and they think it’s crazy for students to not park inside. For them to have to walk every morning and every afternoon to their cars because it was a big effort  to let the students take the car and then the car is in constant danger of someone like hitting it or to you to get hit by a car, because many of the students park in viva and everywhere, so they have to pass the road get to the school. So parents think it’s very crazy that students have to walk, but all that danger is because of the school, because the school doesn’t want to make an agreement.” Alicia added.

Parents share the same concern, arguing that it is unsafe for students to walk across busy streets every morning and afternoon just to reach their cars. They feel it is unfair that, after trusting their children with the responsibility of driving, the school’s rules still place them at daily risk.

“I think that the main reason that the school doesn’t allow it is because they don’t want to be responsible for anything that happens inside because we’re students and we’re underage. So I think if another student or if something gets robbed, or if there’s an accident, that school doesn’t want to be responsible, but I think there are solutions to that.” Alicia Baquero concluded.

Students recognize that the school has valid concerns, including the possibility of accidents, theft, or damage if cars are parked inside campus. However, these worries could be solved through clear rules, and safety precautions that limit school responsibility while still giving students more reliable access to parking.

The parking debate at The Columbus School shows that parking is about more than just convenience. It connects to student safety, getting to class on time, and how families feel about school rules. Some ideas, like giving spots only to seniors could be possible solutions. In the end, the discussion is really about finding a balance between giving students more freedom and keeping school safety in mind.

For now, students continue to push for change. Whether the school allows on-campus parking or not, the debate has made one thing clear: transportation policies have a big impact on students’ safety, routines, and overall school experience.