Hi-Line Blog: Letter To The Editor: Cedar Falls High School Staff Taking Advantage Of Limited Student Parking

Colby Creger/Cedar Falls High School senior

It is apparent to everyone at Cedar Falls High School that parking is scarce. At 7:20 a.m. the early birds begin to fill the spots in the north parking lot. As 7:45 rolls around, the last spots in the lot are taken, and the Division Street spots are filled. Cars line up and down 12th Street and 8th Street, even stretching to and past Ellen Street.

The half mile into school wouldn’t be so bad if kids didn’t have to walk past the 10 open spots in the teacher’s parking lane. Then the lunch hour comes and kids run to their cars in an effort to be the first to the closest fast food restaurant and come back so they can reclaim their precious parking spots before others who had the long walk in the morning try to steal it. While all of this is going on, the 10 or so spots in the teacher’s’ lot still remain untouched. If we park there, we get tagged with an unreasonably expensive $25 ticket. We either take the ticket and make it to class on time, or we park far away and risk a tardy.

As a student, it is something I learn to deal with. When I am forced with this choice, I park far away.

It didn’t bother me too much until the other day when I noticed a green van with a red and white teacher parking pass hanging from their rearview mirror parked in the second spot in the student parking area. Then I glanced behind myself and noticed all the open spots in the teacher parking. I understand that the 30 extra steps would have been excruciating from the nearest teacher spot, but really? I think they could have handled it.

Is that fair? Kids get a $25 ticket for a parking in the teacher parking, but teachers get no penalty for taking spaces in the overflowing student lot. Teachers deserve some authority, but this unruly act is abuse of authority.