By Jenna Baker & Emanuel Nader

At Granada Hills Charter High School (GHC), almost all parking areas are designated for staff only, leaving students to struggle daily to find parking and make it on time for their first class. As traffic floods the area filled with students, parents, and staff, it is often a challenge to find parking in the early morning.

Many of the available parking areas are already taken by the homeowners and apartment dwellers in the area around the school. Many other areas around the school have parking limitations and come with a risk of being towed such as directly in front of the school or in local parking lots.

That leaves students with limited options, and those who participate in after-school activities such as clubs or sports are left with far-away parking options.

Almost all parking options for students are also insecure, leaving cars at risk of being broken into as students are away from their cars for at least seven hours at a time.

“Being so far from campus makes it hard for students, especially when it rains or when it’s extremely hot and we have to walk far distances in the heat or the rain. We certainly don’t have many parking options,” senior Veronica Bellodas-Lazo said.

Although school is meant to be a safe environment, students are left worrying about the security of their cars or their chances of being towed. In events like these, it makes it hard for students to focus on the material they need to successfully pass the class, let alone complete all of their work at the highest quality.

“One time Del Taco put a note on my car saying if you keep parking here the car will be towed,” senior Emily Torres said, after resigning herself to parking in the shopping center lot.

If students do not have a lot to park in, they are left either parking in front of someone’s house or someone’s store, neither of which is an ideal solution.

GHC does have a lottery system for the limited student parking lot spaces they have. However, spots are extremely limited compared to the student population that drives themselves to school. This system is very unreasonable as it only allows for a small portion of the large amount of students that apply for one. But even if you are lucky to be chosen for a spot, it costs a pricey amount of $60 a semester.

“I wish I could park in the school lot; it’s close, and I have a sense of security. My car can’t be towed and most likely won’t be broken into,” senior Nathan Duldulao said.

The school should work to collaborate with local businesses, especially the Ralph’s shopping center. Perhaps there could be some sort of agreement where the school has an allocation of spaces without taking up too many so that shoppers can still park.

Maybe we could even build a two-story parking lot like Cal State Northridge did when their student population grew.

Our student population is also creative. Perhaps the school could create some sort of inquiry and ask students for their solutions to the issue. That would certainly work toward our goals of creating students who can problem solve and take part in their community.