Recently, FCHS seniors have expressed anger with underclassmen parking in the senior parking lot. FCHS offers seniors a variety of privileges for their final year, with use of the front part of the back parking lot being one of these advantages. The Class of 2025 can also choose to paint their parking spots, making them unique.

When students reach their senior year and finally take advantage of these privileges, they can feel accomplished and as if their success and perseverance throughout their high school career has been acknowledged. Any loss of those privileges can seem like an affront to seniors, and reinforce the view that younger students should have to pay their dues to have the same privileges when it’s their turn.

Juniors, however, may feel eager to have the luxuries that seniors do, tempting some juniors to use them before they are actually of age. For them, parking at the front of the log makes sense.

“Underclassmen tend to park in the front and leave early so we don’t have to deal with the after-school traffic,” says junior Carson Johnston.

Virginia law requires all student drivers to obtain a parking pass to prove they have a valid driver’s license or driver’s privilege card. FCHS requires drivers to read and sign a document stating they will follow the parking lot rules.

These rules can be found in the “Rules for Drivers and Riders” section of the Student Handbook, which notes that “Seniors may park in the first four rows of the student parking lot,” and “underclassmen may park in the last two rows.”

However, some students have claimed that the wording of this section may be confusing. Many seniors believe that the entire first section of the parking lot is reserved for them, while some underclassmen believe that only the first four rows are reserved for seniors.

“I have gotten permission from administrators and safety officers to park in the spot that I do every day, so I am just confused why this group of seniors is so angry by it,” said junior Jasmine Alvarenga.

In contrast, senior Nea Arndt argues, “It is frustrating to me that teachers are allowing them to park there, because the current seniors had to wait four years to be able to park there. So everyone else should also have to wait.”

In February, a group of seniors took their argument to administrators in hopes of receiving support for their interpretation of the Student Handbook rules, but were told that nothing could be done about it. Subsequently, some seniors decided to take matters into their own hands, with reports of multiple seniors purposely parking to take up two spots to prove a point. Their efforts were unsuccessful, as administrators just made them move their cars.

Editor’s note: The original version of this story erroneously reported “These rules can be found in the “Rules for Drivers and Riders” section of the Student Handbook, which notes that “Seniors may park in the first two rows of the student parking lot.” The Fluco Beat apologizes for this error.