Back gates need to be freed

Behind the school, off Rich Perez Jr. Drive, there is a faculty only parking lot. Every morning, the entrance to this area is partially blocked by annoying yellow gates making it difficult to park. Staff members close the gates too early in the morning when the lot is still mostly empty.

The gates are half closed to keep parents from driving through the lot and blocking teachers’ spaces, but parents don’t usually start dropping off students until closer to the bell. Besides, there isn’t someone actually monitoring the gates on a regular basis to make sure parents still aren’t driving and stopping inside the lot, so the gates really have no purpose in being closed.

The gates are also supposed to provide extra security for teachers’ cars. But they don’t. The gates have no bearing on whether or not something happens to the cars. There is already security monitoring the campus as well as the cars with the help of cameras, so the gates aren’t providing any extra security for the cars.

In contrast, there is a high possibility for a crash to occur at the opening of either gate because there is such a small space for cars to drive through. If two cars meet at the entrance, there is a greater chance of an accident if someone isn’t paying attention. Also the driver could cause damage to the gate or the car.

Teachers have a hard time getting into their parking spaces. The steady flow is disrupted by the gates being half closed when they arrive at school making it take longer to park their cars and get to their classes. They aren’t contracted to be at school until 7:35 a.m., yet they close the gates sometimes before 7:15.

The back gates leading into the teacher’s parking lot need to be closed at 7:40 a.m. for both the safety and convenience of students and teachers. As things stand, the gates being closed is creating an accident waiting to happen.