The Adams High School parking lot has long been a source of controversy and conflict for students at Adams. Over the years, the parking lot has seen overparking, accidents, crashes, and long lines of traffic. Despite renovation in 2019, the lot has not seen significant improvements in space and traffic preventions.

“I’ve always disliked it (leaving the parking lot). I leave school at 2:30 PM and still don’t get home until nearly three o’clock because of all the parking lot traffic,” said senior Brie Harrison.

Although not perfect, the parking lot still requires a large expense for students who drive themselves to school. This year, auditorium and athletic parking passes cost $105 for a full year. While upperclassmen purchase these passes, sophomores are mandated to purchase the $85 parking passes for the Van Hoosen middle school lot, a far walk from the high school entrance. 

“I couldn’t buy an Adams parking pass, so it’s really annoying to walk almost five minutes to school from the Van Hoosen parking lot,” said sophomore Myah Trame. “The regular lots aren’t even full all the time, so I’ll park there when it’s empty.”

For these student drivers, the cost of a pass adds to the list of school-year expenses, leaving many criticizing the fee. They argue that parking should be accessible without a hefty price tag, especially when the high school parking is the only practical option for students driving themselves to school daily. 

“I find it really annoying that I have to pay over a hundred dollars just to park at the school I go to,” said senior Talia Abraham.

However, administrators and school security staff say it is a safety issue. It’s critical that the school remains a safe place for students, and knowing what cars are in the parking lot helps protect student’s safety. 

“If there is a car that we don’t recognize, we can check for the parking pass and verify the security of the car,” said Rochester community schools sheriff, Deputy Prachar. 

Even so, many still criticize the fee.

“I know the money is being put towards the school and our safety, but I still think paying a hundred bucks for a safety pass is too much. They can protect our safety with fifty dollar passes too,” said Harrison.

Prior to 2017, the Adams school parking lots had a first come first serve method to school parking. However, in the 2017 school year, the school shifted to assigned raffle spots. Students would pay the same amount for their passes, but some would be assigned a spot far away from the entrance, and others would be very close. This caused conflict and controversy amongst students, leading to the policy being taken down the following year. 

Now, the 2024-2025 school year sees a limited number of parking passes being sold, guaranteeing that all students can have a spot in the lot. Spots are taken on a first come first serve basis. 

“I like that we don’t have assigned spots. Some of my friends who go to other schools are always stressed about what spot they get assigned at the start of the year,” said Abraham.

Although the fees and parking lot issues frustrate students, administration has continued to work on finding a solid solution to the traffic and lot issues. Ticketing has been put in place, and efforts have been made to decrease the parking pass fee. So far, there has been a five dollar decrease for parking passes as well as efforts towards efficient traffic management.

“Safety of our students is our priority, and we are always working to make the school a safe place,” said principal Luke Swanson.