Fremont’s parking passes have become an increasingly disliked aspect of the student experience and here’s why.

At the beginning of every school year, the student body faces a myriad of fees. The classes themselves can add up to well over $100, but then at the end of it all, there’s the parking fee charge. The cost of a parking pass is $10, which may not seem like a lot in comparison to all that was spent on classes, but it’s still a frustrating extra cost. 

Students are frustrated by the fact that they are required to pay for a spot that they may not even be guaranteed towards the end of the year. When Quincey Mogolich, one of the assistant principals, was asked about this, she said that they had come up with several options to help resolve the situation. 

“We’ve discussed limiting parking passes, meaning we’ll only sell a certain quantity… If it becomes a big problem, we’ve even discussed requiring that students have their actual driver’s license before they can buy one. ” Though these solutions would mean that not everyone would be able to park on campus anymore, they would add value to the passes. Students would no longer have to worry about paying for a spot they might not be able to use.

A question that a lot of people have is “Why do we even need a parking pass?” Mogolich answered this question in the same interview, saying, “We’re supposed to try to know who’s parking on our property. We can’t really always know, but we’re supposed to make an effort. “

 That’s why at least half of the money made off of your parking passes goes towards making new ones, so they can tell who’s here. The other half goes towards fixing the parking lot, and even prizes and incentives for the student body.

The other most common problem among the student body would be the tickets. In reference, a senior at Fremont, Lily Bates said, “I don’t like to leave my parking pass up because I’m worried people may target and kidnap me because I’m a high school student, so I take it down and I forgot to put it back up, and then I come back with a ticket on my window. When I went to the bookkeeper, I tried to explain why I didn’t have my pass up and I was just told I had to pay $10 dollars and keep my pass up even though it makes me feel uncomfortable and nervous.”  In this situation if a student really wants they do have the ability to fight the ticket by speaking to the school’s officer. The school’s reasoning is understandable, but no student should have to feel uncomfortable in order to avoid a ticket.

The circumstances of parking at Fremont are certainly frustrating. The parking passes no longer hold as much value, and students might even have to pay a ticket despite having paid their share to park. For the sake of safety, the parking pass itself cannot be done away with, but something needs to be changed. Students typically have limited funds, so when they pay for something it should be beneficial, because otherwise it’s just taking away from what little they have for outings with their friends, gas, or even food.