Remote learning has created a parking pass backlog which leaves many more students than usual utilizing the parking lot for the very first time this year.
“The students have to re-acclimate themselves to the rules of the parking lot,”
Charles Reed, a former Schaumburg Police Department traffic officer, and current student supervisor at Palatine High School said. “They had 18 months where they haven’t been here. So we have upperclassmen that were freshman the last time we had school, so they haven’t had the chance to gradually learn. They jumped into the deep end of the pool.”
Wendy Green, the assistant principal’s secretary and administrative assistant at PHS explains how because the Palatine High School lot is private property, visible parking permits are required to maintain security and ensure that vehicles on site are insured.
The main lot parking permit is $150 for the whole year, but after the first quarter the price is reduced. During the beginning of the second semester the price goes down to $75. The stadium lot is free to park in, but a permit is still required to park.
“To order both sets of permits for both the student permits and the main parking lot,” Green explained when asked about where the money made from parking permits was budgeted. “That costs money, so it offsets their costs. It doesn’t stay at Palatine High School, it goes to the district office. And they allocate according to if we need our parking lot resurfaced.”
Some students and staff have been expressing concerns about the high cost of the permits and how students with special needs could be negatively impacted by the need for the permits in order to park closer to the school.
“Students have the free option of parking in the free stadium so that covers those that cannot afford or may not want a permit,” Green said. “But we always accommodate kids with special circumstances by giving them one of our handicap tags that’s just for Palatine High School. They can park right outside the school.”
These handicap tags are for students with special needs or students that are recovering from an injury, when the tags are not needed they can be returned to Green.
If anyone would like to obtain a parking permit, contact Wendy Green in the Scarlet Pod. Questions about parking lot and parking lot safety can be directed to Charles Reed in the main office.