SAN JOSE, CALIF. — On Monday, Nov. 27, Silver Creek Student Advisor, Mr. Flores, made an announcement that there would no longer be any way to get to our cars until the end of the school day which made students feel upset and inconvenienced.

As a student driver, this over-restrictive rule made me angry and disappointed. With had already dealt with an issue earlier in the school year about the gates; I am tired and empathize with the students impacted by this new rule. 

With only having five periods, that I earned with a good GPA and plenty of credits, I got to leave school about an hour earlier than most of the students. While using the student parking lot, I was locked in most days wondering why the school did not expect us high schoolers who get out after 5th period to utilize the parking lot. With also having work close to the time I get out after school, I would get anxious thinking that I wouldn’t be able to leave the gates of Silver Creek in time for my shift.

Even after trying to solve the situation myself by parking outside of the gates, I couldn’t escape through the locked gates that the Admin told me would be open. With no other choice, I decided to park up the hill near our school’s ballfields. This resulted in long walks to and from my classes from the beginning of the day to the end, which was completely inconvenient. 

With the new rule made by the power of the Administration, students cannot leave during the middle of the day for an emergency without having to go through difficult obstacles to simply have the admin open the gates for them. Not being able to grab their lunch that they accidentally forgot or even their project that they did not want the burden of holding for the entire day until that class. 

A Senior from Silver Creek says, “I think that it’s more of a hazard and an inconvenience rather than a safety precaution. If there was a situation where students needed to get off campus, those gates should be open. I understand they are trying to look out for us due to the negligence of other students in the past but it’s not necessary. So many high schools have open campuses and I feel we should have the same freedoms.”

Even with the Admin suggesting students that have to leave in the middle of the day to park outside of the gates, it risks us drivers from getting our cars stolen. There is no other solution to this problem than just keeping the gates open and unlocked, as there will be more harm than good.

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