After being driven by parents for 16 ½ years, begging older siblings and friends for rides, and after dreaming of driving, it is crushingly disappointing and inconvenient to learn that the lower lot, which is commonly and mistakenly referred to as the junior lot, is full and there will be another year of parental driving.

Although there are 175 spaces in the upper lot, if a senior has not completed all Proficiency-Based Graduation Requirements (PBGR) they may not have a spot at all until Oct. 1, when it is opened to all seniors and juniors on a first come, first served basis.

Students can have their privilege to park revoked for either being absent for ten unexcused days, three skipped detentions, five tardies in one quarter and/or five or more days of suspension.

This year, the deans, Ms. Tara Walsh and Ms. Becky Kane, composed a new system in which fifteen spots are left unassigned in the occasion that there is a student emergency. In this scenario, an individual who needs to leave school to drive somewhere, such as a doctor appointment, is able to temporarily park in the lower lot for anywhere from one day to several months.

In the past, the school had not saved any spots but found out later in the year that it would have been beneficial to have extra empty ones. However, this year, the extra space was unnecessary. In the beginning of October the lower lot was declared full, but in early December they distributed nine spots to juniors for the lower lot, leaving only three individuals on the waiting list. Now, 70 of 75 spaces in the lower lot are full, leaving five open for various student emergencies throughout the year.

While The Current Wave staff agrees that this is a necessary reason for vacant spaces, there are a multitude of people who are required daily to arrive at school early and to depart later than the average student.

Jazz band practices before school several times a week and many teachers can only meet before school to assist students academically, as well as to hold morning study sessions before a test. Additionally, all individuals involved in any sport or club are unable to take the 1:45 bus home, and ending times may either be before or after the late bus schedule. Lastly, sports games can end anywhere from 6 to 10 p.m., which is a challenging time for parents to come and pick up their children, especially when they already rely on that child to drive both themselves and their younger siblings.

While other teammates and classmates appear to be an obvious and probable solution, it is an illegal one, with the Rhode Island law stating that a driver must have their license for six months before they are authorized to drive more than one non family member.

Students who have their licenses but are stranded at school waiting for a ride often results in wasted time and a useless certification. The Current Wave feels as though individuals with extracurricular commitments at irregular times should be viewed separately for their parking privileges, not only for their benefit but to help the families of the NKHS student body as well.