You can’t park here! What Do Students Think of the New Parking Situation at MBHS?

Allow me to paint a picture for you: after weeks of grueling rain, the sun had finally decided to shine upon our little town of Morro Bay. It was a scenic, bright Monday morning; the birds were chirping, work was minimal as we all had just gotten back from Christmas break, and senior Beatrice Appel sat in her car brushing her hair. It was a perfect moment, a perfect moment that was then ruined when she turned to her window to see a custodian knocking, who informed her that she was parked illegally and that the parking spot that she had been parked in for months was now reserved for members of the public who wished to use Morro Bay High School’s pool. 

The public has been allowed to use MBHS’s pool for years, even during school hours. MBHS students have continuously seen it; people walking through our halls, dripping wet in their swimsuits, holding their towels, and students have, time and time again, turned a blind eye. Who cares that they use our pool? It’s never affected anyone. However, now it’s something serious; now it’s annoying students.

Some students have ignored the request to change their parking completely and continued to park in the places reserved for pool-goers. I mean, it’s not like the school has a registry of everyone’s cars and knows that the black Honda that’s parked by the pool is the black Honda of a 17-year-old kid versus the black Honda of an 89-year-old grandmother going to do water aerobics! However, it seems no one has really gotten away with this, as many students have gone out to see pink stickers on their windows stating that they are parked illegally. 

Senior Emerson Jacquay expressed her feelings on the matter, saying, “I have experienced being, you know, maybe a little late to school; maybe that’s my fault. Maybe I have an appointment, who’s to say? And the pool parking is my only suitable parking option available, and I have been yelled at by school police; I’ve been yelled at by school admin to move my car forcefully. I do not appreciate it, because I am a student. I go to the school,” said Jacquay.

“I think the admin needs to lighten up, because it’s not that serious. I go to the school; let me park in the pool parking,” Jacquay added.

One student who wishes to remain anonymous shared similar sentiments.

“I parked there for months, and I loved my spot. It was the perfect spot. It was easy. I was a beginner driver, and it was an easy spot to pull in and out of. It was nice. It felt safe. And then one day, I go, and I park there, and this person walks up to me and knocks, knocks on my window like a woodpecker, telling me to move my car,” said the student. “All of the disability parking spaces are in the pool parking lot, so what are disabled MBHS students supposed to do? We have disabled students. Young people can be disabled, and we do have a disabled status.” 

Whether students’ annoyance will remain or lead to actual change is still to be determined. For now, they are simply going to have to buck up and park elsewhere, whether that means Motel 6 across the street or the dirt path by the beach; this change is certainly shifting many students’ routines.