As the 3:20 bell sounds, students sprint down stairwells and rush through halls to get to their cars and avoid parking lot traffic. To avoid congestion completely, some students will even leave class early and sneak out a side door.
The Elkhorn North student body has risen from 645 students in its opening year to over 1,000 students now, which has resulted in an increase in student and parent drivers after the 3:20 bell.
Students, who casually walk to the car without a frantic rush, report they spend an extra 15-20 minutes in the parking lot. While students with a sense of urgency report exiting without inconvenience.
After a seven-hour school day, students would like to quickly depart from school property and return to the serenity of their houses or arrive on time to after-school commitments, but, unfortunately, Elkhorn North parking lot is designed to reduce speed.
“The engineers designed the parking lot to slow traffic down,” assistant principal Emily Christensen said. “I know that is probably what people do not want to hear, but parking lots are designed in a way to have slow driving and entrance and exits that are more usable.”
According to Christensen, as the infrastructure develops, a stop light will likely be placed at the first entrance off of 180th. Currently, traffic stalls waiting at the stop sign as students wait to find a free moment to turn amidst the busy traffic from the nearby Sagewood Elementary and Grandview Middle School.
This leaves students with one question: How does one get out of the parking lot in a timely manner?
“If you have to get out right away, park at the back of the lot,” Christenson said. “So if you leave at 3:20 and book it for your car, you’re not gonna be in a line of 20 cars.”
Other students found the solution to avoid traffic is to exit the building through side doors before the 3:20 bell, but this prohibited behavior came with consquences.
“I left school two minutes early because I had a 3:40 golf practice,” senior Jayse Munter said. “I only had twenty minutes to get to the course and getting out of the parking lot takes longer than that.”
Recently, administration has handed out several detentions to students who made this choice. They checked school security cameras and students who were identified then were sent to her office to discuss their motivation behind leaving early.
“I talk to the kids a lot about why they left early, so we can problem solve,” Christensen said. “I don’t benefit from getting to give a kid detention, what I want them to do is stay in class until 3:20.”
Christensen desires for students to be on time to work and after-school commitments, which is one reason why work release is offered to upperclassmen.
Students can not exit the building early for two reasons: learning and safety. Teachers want an equal amount of time with their students, whether it is second or seventh period. Students leaving class 5-10 minutes early miss out on an opportunity to learn.
The other main concern is safety. As people open the doors, it compromises the security of the building. By law, Elkhorn North is required to have all doors locked and shut to secure the perimeter. The only exception is the main entrance door, which is monitored and can be opened by the office to allow individuals to enter and exit the building.
Currently, the best solution for students to swiftly depart is to arrive early to school, find a strategic parking spot, and hustle to their car after the 3:20 bell. Those who would prefer to avoid the mad dash through the lot should be prepared to wait for at least an extra twenty minutes.
“I have work right after school, so I arrive at school around 7:35,” senior Jada Mack said. “Since I started arriving early my junior year, I can get out way faster. I park in the first row and back in, so I can usually get out of the parking lot in less than a minute.”
