Driving is the ideal way to get to school. Students can leave their house whenever they want, stay as late as they need, and not need to be dependent on a set bus schedule. However, any student can attest to the fact that parking at school is a major issue.

Currently, parking passes cost $200. This is a ridiculous sum to simply park at a public school that students are required by law to attend. For many, driving is the only feasible way to get to school.

“I’m only able to do marching band because I can drive myself to school,” senior Joe Wright said. “If I wasn’t able to drive, it would be a lot more difficult to be here for practice.”

Students at McLean are involved in numerous activities after school. Sports, band, and theatre all have practices right after school that often occur on days with no late bus or last beyond it. Students must either drive themselves or depend on their parents, who are often working themselves.

In addition, there are not enough parking spots to accommodate all the student drivers. McLean is a rapidly growing school, with each class size larger than the last. As of right now, the parking lot is filling up. By the end of the year, it’s likely that a student unfortunate enough to come late will not be able to find a spot as a result of all the new drivers that will have cropped up. This isn’t even taking into account all the students that are forced to park on Westmoreland Street, Davidson Street, or even further away from the school due to not having a parking pass.

Overall, parking passes are an unfair system that take advantage of students. Passes need to be replaced by a system that is for the students, not against them.