The Camarillo Police Department and Cam High’s administration have introduced new changes to the parking and drop-off policies at Cam High for the 2018-2019 school year.

Dr. Kim Stephenson, Cam High’s principal, told The Stinger in an interview that the main priority with the changes was to create a safer, less congested environment on campus. The most controversial change implemented is the discontinuation of drop-off and pick-up in the front of the school and in the upper lot.

Students can still park off-campus, in the lower parking lot, or in the upper parking lot as long as they have a parking permit. These can be purchased at the ASB Bookkeeper for $1.00. Administration informed students that they will be ticketed if they do not have a permit.

Another new policy introduced is the closing of the upper parking lot gate after school starts. The gate is only reopened after sixth period, leaving students with early dismissal to park off-campus or in the lower parking lot.

Krystal Jensen, junior, said, “Last week, at 3:00 p.m, the bell rang, and I got in line, and the gate to leave the upper parking lot was closed. We sat there until about 3:07, and then I called the office. No one answered, it just went to voicemail. Finally, someone got out of their car and opened the gate. It wasn’t a teacher or staff, it was Coach Prewitt, who doesn’t even work at the school anymore.”

According to the 2018-2019 Parent Handbook — given to all parents at the beginning of the year — the upper lot should only be closed from 3:20-6:00 p.m, in order to accommodate band practice. There was no official mention of the gates being closed during school in the Parent Handbook.

Since drop-off is no longer allowed in front of the school, it is now recommended that parents drop students off in the lower parking lot. Concerns among students tend to be about the uphill walk from lower and the congestion from students trying to park while others are being dropped off.

Makenna Soliz, a junior who parks in the lower lot, said that “Personally, I don’t think the lower lot is a good replacement for drop-off. It’s a bit of a hassle, and I have to get there really early, around 7:25 a.m, and if I got there any later, it would be really busy. After school, if I rush out, its super easy to get out, but if I get out around 3:10 p.m, I have to wait to get out.”

When asked about the new policies and possible changes, senior Zak Garcia proposed, “I’m not sure how feasible it is, but the opening to lower is very narrow. It’s 2 lanes, one to enter, one to exit. If there were two entrances to lower, it would divert a lot of the traffic and make it easier to get in and out.”

It is unknown whether student opinions will be taken into account by administration. “I understand where they’re coming from about safety. I want to feel safe at school, but I think there’s better ways to do that,” said Jensen.