Junior, Senior Parking Lots Merged

This year, juniors and seniors do not have parking restrictions. While it is still mandatory for sophomore drivers to park in the Prairie Village Pool parking lot, juniors and seniors are allowed to park in either lot.

Heavy traffic has always been an issue after school. With over 700 student drivers, parents picking up students and buses leaving, the administration had concerns regarding traffic safety.

“We had a lot of parents, students, local police and our own SRO talk to us about some really close calls with regard to traffic and general concerns about parking,” Principal John McKinney said.

A lot of the traffic was created by students switching parking lots for after school activities. Unsafe amounts of traffic were brought to the administrators’ attention by student drivers, school officers and students who walk to school.

“It was all the extra traffic being created by students moving from one lot to another [that created unsafe situations],” McKinney said. “So we got together administratively over the summer and talked about possible solutions.”

The administration believes a solution has been found by allowing student to park anywhere, something every other Shawnee Mission school has been doing for years.

Senior Erin Penner parks in the back lot to leave her fifth hour for lunch. It is also more convenient for her after school.

“When it comes time for track I’ll want to park in [what was once the] the junior lot without getting ticketed,” Penner said.