On school days, at 2:35 p.m., the Lake Orion High School parking lot is crowded with activity. Students vie for a place on one of the two roads leading away from the school.
According to Principal Todd Dunckley, there has been a constant problem with reckless driving in the parking lot, as well as on Scripps Road, Stadium Drive and the Round Tree subdivision in the past decade.
Last year, the problem escalated. Dunckley received multiple phone calls, letters and personal visits regarding the issue.
Many parents were concerned about the safety of the students walking home from school in the Round Tree subdivision.
As a result, the school board voted to modify the parking regulations.
Two revisions were made. The first revision instructs students to use extra caution on roads in the surrounding area of the school. It also states that any student ticketed in this area will lose parking privileges for up to one full school year.
The second revision adds that any student ticketed for speeding 1-14 miles per hour over the speed limit will be penalized with the loss of their parking pass for a minimum of two terms.
Any further violations will result in the suspension of the student’s parking pass for at least one full school year.
There were daily announcements of the changes during the first week of school, and the first revision appeared on the student parking pass application.
‘It made a big difference,? Dunckley said.
Deputy Randy Leppek, student resource officer, agrees. He has been trying to patrol as much as possible after school, and he wants to raise the awareness that he’s not only pulling students over; he’s also been ticketing parents.
He wants to remind students and parents that, ?[patrolling is] going to continue in the Round Tree subdivision, and on Scripps and Stadium. It’s not something we’re going to do for a month and then drop.?
Dunckley added that the enforcement provides a valuable lesson to everyone involved.
‘I know when we’re young, it’s hard to understand the direct connection to safety,? he said, ‘but we do have a genuine concern about somebody getting harmed or losing a life.?