Posted by Ian P. Kelly, M.Ed.

Over the years I have spent countless hours discussing safety in our school’s parking lot. The congestion and lack of available parking are issues that have been with us for a long time. The fundamental problem is that the parking lot was never meant to accommodate a school of our size. Presently there are just over 100 designated parking spaces available to accommodate a faculty of approximately 100 professionals and over 400 families. Roughly 50% of our students ride buses home or take transportation to after school programs in town. That leaves over 300 students who dismiss to parents and families using the parking lot.

It goes without saying that the physical capacity of the lot is woefully short of what the school would need in order to provide adequate parking for the number of vehicles and people that we need to move through the lot in a safe and efficient manner. While this is a real limitation, it should not be used as an excuse to disregard clearly defined rules and procedures in the parking lot. I understand these limitations and the inconvenience that comes with them. When it is ten degrees and snowing it can be a difficult choice to park across the street and walk to the front door instead of parking illegally in a much closer location. That being said, the decision to park illegally is a conscientious choice on the part of a parent or family member between personal convenience and compromising their own safety and that of others.

Recognizing this limitation, we, as a community, have to work with what we have and make every effort to maintain safety. Over the years I have worked closely with my staff in coordination with town officials to do everything in our control to maximize safety and efficiency in the lot. I have implored parents to think about safety first. I have put letters on windshields, collected license plate numbers and turned them over to the police department, closed the lot, and re-directed traffic. At the end of the day, I don’t have the human resources to staff the parking lot and monitor compliance with our policies and procedures and we do not have space to add an additional 75 spaces. I would argue that, even if we did have the resources to do these things, parents would prefer that resource be directed towards teaching and learning.

No intervention, policy, or procedure will ensure safety and that is because safety is primarily a function of choice. This is a reality because, simply put, I can’t control the choices people make. I can provide information and guidance. I can reiterate my concerns. At the end of the day individuals weigh the information they have with their desires and impulses and they choose. Compliance with policies and procedures that are designed to ensure safety is a choice and all I have is the power to ask that the members of this community choose safety over convenience.