Should student drivers be required to buy a parking pass? This question has long been a source of controversy around Fluvanna County High School. Many students say they’ve never seen the point in buying one because they never got caught not having one.

“I have never gotten a parking pass until this year because administrators never enforced them,” stated an anonymous junior.

As a result, many students expressed shock when school administration started to call these students out by leaving a warning ticket on their cars in September.

Why does FCHS have a parking pass requirement in the first place? According to FCHS School Security Officer (SSO) Von Hill, parking passes are “safety mechanisms to determine who needs to be here and why they are here. It also helps identify who is here.”

One reason that school has been able to begin cracking down on students without passes at this time is due to the arrival of both Hill and his fellow SSO Malcolm Nelson.

When asked about the parking pass requirement, many students say they disagree with the policy, arguing that they shouldn’t have to pay $25 to park at school. Others complain that that it seems hypocritical for school administartion to emphasize the importance of maintaining good attendance while making students pay for a parking pass.

“Education is a very important part of what America is known for, [but] having to pay to be parked in a spot where we have to be in order to receive an education isn’t fair,” said junior Juan Cazares.

The topic has been source of debate in some classes, with teachers appearing to be generally supportive of the need for passes and the enforcement of them. “I think there needs to be a tracking system for cars in our lot. However, students should know what the fees are used for so that they feel relevant and necessary,” said FCHS teacher Tonya Vowels.

Some students argue that they’d be more supportive if they knew where the money from the parking passes goes. “The money goes towards buying supplies for the students and other little events going on throughout the year,” said Hill.

If students get caught without a pass this could result in a referral, loss of parking privileges, and potentially, the vehicle being towed at owner’s expense. Some, like Cazares, feel that this is too harsh.

“I understand the school has to enforce the passes and in order to do that they have to ‘threaten’ the students. But taking their driving privileges to school for a month is crazy,” he said.

Knowing the punishments, some students have been quick to go and buy their parking passes. Others have been seen ripping up and throwing away their warning slips. FCHS administrators have stated that if students continue to ignore these warnings they will be enforcing these punishments.

Students who don’t already have a parking pass can pick up an application form in the main office and turn it in to FCHS treasurer Angela Brown.

Even students who feel that parking at FCHS should be free may be surprised to know that the FCHS parking pass fee is lower than at any other school in the region. For an overview of how the cost of parking at FCHS stacks up against the fees at other schools, see this article by 2022 FCHS graduate Somer Sweitzer.