Parking at York has been a reoccurring issue for both students and faculty, especially with a school of 2,754 students. Students who are in Med Careers and Invite to Teach get priority parking spots, and the leftover spaces are raffled off to seniors during their junior year. However, there are students who park on school property without having a parking permit. In past years, those students would be fined, but this is not the case anymore.

Illinois has passed bill SB0100, which constitutes that York cannot fine students any longer for going against parking policies.

“The school can’t take money from the students, but it can ticket them,” said Tim Mangan, campus supervisor. “The first ticket is only a warning, the second ticket is loss of off-campus and parking permit, and the third is an in-school suspension.”

The threat of these new policies has proven to be very effective, especially for seniors.

“I think this new form of discipline could motivate students to stop going against parking policies,” said senior, Iqra Shaikh, “especially because we don’t want to risk getting our off-campus revoked. It’s what makes us seniors.”

Because of this, students have resorted to parking in public lots that will not ticket them.

“I park at Stemples Cycle Center, which is free, and only a ten minute walk from school,” said senior Hanna Czeladko. “I would take the bus, but I have work right after-school some days. I don’t mind the walk though.”

York currently has 155 parking spots for students to park in and about 480 spots for the staff. This clearly is not enough, but unfortunately it is the most York can offer.

“We don’t have any options,” said Tim Mangan. “Unfortunately we are landlocked, and green space laws do not allow us to turn fields into parking lots. The parking policies are not to spite the students, but it is a priority to have the staff here.”