In the last week of October, DVHS began the installation of gates over the four entrances in the main parking lot to block them by early November. With the DVHS Administration team using these gates to actively direct the flow of traffic in and out of the parking lot, the system aims to solve two problems.
“There are two big concerns. One is that student drop-off happens within the parking lot, which can be a safety issue. It also blocks staff and students from parking,” Assistant Principal Jill Nonn explained. “The other issue is that we have a lot of students who are leaving campus. We have a closed campus. This is an effort to help remind folks that they need to stay on campus throughout the day.”
Having been in development for almost two years, the change was set in motion when DVHS principal Lauren Falkner placed a site improvement request when she took up her role in 2023.
“We have always struggled with our parking lot and drop-off situation. Since I joined the staff as an Assistant Principal in 2019, to when I took over as principal, I had always received complaints about the parking lot in terms of staff and student safety,” Falkner said. “I am not the only principal to have received these complaints. This has been going on since the school opened.”
Falkner addressed the extended period of time between when she input the request to when the gates were established, explaining how the form was sent to the SRVUSD Business Operations Division, where the team there reviews it. Executive Director of Business Operations Abdul Mixon then reached out to her to discuss her thoughts, and the pair surveyed the parking lot in September to envision what the system would look like.
Currently, three of the four gates remain closed during the day, while one is intentionally left open.
“This is set up in case of an emergency. But also, sometimes students are called out during lunch. And, because of our block schedule, there are some days when students are done with school before lunch. They need to be able to leave and go home,” Nonn reasoned.
However, students are still able to evade the new measures in place. With one gate being left open, students are still able to leave. Additionally, many opt to park in the parking lot near Dougherty’s swimming pools, where they remain unaffected by the gates.
As a result, Falkner described future plans to install similar gates in that parking lot. “Whenever you build a better mousetrap, you get smarter mice,” she joked.
In conjunction with student safety, Falkner discussed concerns raised by employees at Walgreens and Safeway regarding DVHS students.
“Last year, [these stores] called me up and told me that [students] were stealing and speeding through our parking lots. I think there was even a complaint posted on NextDoor,” Falkner stated. “We are part of this community, and that’s not how I want our students to be perceived by our community partners. When you come to school, I, ultimately, am responsible for your welfare and well-being. I want to make sure we provide that for you.”
With these concerns in mind, after a few weeks of implementation, the DVHS Administration already foresees adjustments to the system. Falkner mentioned the need to troubleshoot where the team identifies issues in traffic flow.
“It will be something we continue to refine until it’s working smoothly,” Nonn said. “We’ve got a little bit of a road ahead of us.”
Addressing frustrations from parents, DVHS Administration spoke of the inevitable nature of traffic and congestion, regardless of this change.
Yet despite the intentions of the gates’ installation, students and staff expressed concerns about the new enforcement measure, specifically regarding its effectiveness and inhibiting nature.
“It’s very hard to keep almost 4000 kids at school during lunch. I don’t think this gate will be able to achieve that, which is why I feel it’s unnecessary,” senior Siah Joshi stated.
Still, DVHS Administration staunchly believes the addition of gates will support the safety of all students on campus.
“This really should help students and parents in the long run, even though there is a short-term change that everyone is adapting to,” Nonn explained. “In the long run, we want students to feel that they are safe and can get to school in a timely fashion.
