Did you know that as a first semester 10th grader at Arvada West High School, you are not able to own a parking pass? Doesn’t that seem strange that you cannot park at school until you are a second semester sophomore? Why is that?

First semester sophomore students that have their license cannot park in the student parking lot because Arvada West High School does not allow them to buy a parking pass. If you can drive and if you have a car, then why don’t you have the right to park in the parking lot? It doesn’t seem fair that juniors, seniors, and even second semester sophomores are allowed to park in the student parking lot, while the first semester sophomores have to waste over 5 minutes parking and getting in the school and to class.

Is there a certain right that the upperclassmen have that the underclassmen do not? Do they get first pick at parking just because they are a little bit older? I personally have seen the student parking lot at the beginning of the day, the end of the day, and during lunch and I can easily say they are extra parking spots that first semester sophomores could be using instead of parking on the street or in a nearby neighborhood. It doesn’t make sense to have to wait until the second half of your sophomore year to be able to park in the same places that juniors and seniors get to. If you can pay for a parking pass first semester of sophomore year, and you have your license and a car, then what is holding the school back from letting sophomores park there?

Michael Mulvaney, assistant principal, says “The school district has dictated for years that juniors and seniors are eligible for parking passes and sophomores must wait until second semester. I believe this is for a couple of reasons, to assure the number of permits needed for upperclassmen, and to possibly eliminate the opportunity of students with [drivers] permits driving to school.”

Although Mulvaney gives good reason as to why sophomores cannot have parking passes until second semester, I still stand by what I think, which is that first semester sophomores should be able to own parking passes equal to juniors and seniors.