To make way for construction of the new school, the amount of parking spots have been limited, causing less students to be able to park. Assistant principal at Francis Howell North, Dr. Chris Birch, is in charge of all aspects of parking. 

“So essentially we were informed in the spring that we were going to lose 50 spots,” Birch said. “At some point over the summer, the construction company put in those lanes, which eliminated more spots, and instead of losing 50 spots, we lost 268.”

The loss of spots has caused a disruption in the parking lots as well as the roads surrounding North. Senior Peyton Stutsman has received a parking spot and has been subject to FHN’s parking this school year. 

“Honestly, this year’s parking has been super hectic, so far parking has sucked,” Stustman said. “[But] traffic has been better this year than last year.”

This year spots were prioritized by need. For instance, students that leave campus before school ends were prioritized in terms of getting a parking pass. 70 percent of students who obtained a pass this year were seniors and the remaining 30 percent were juniors.

“This probably will be our best year that we’re gonna get as far as parking spots until construction is over,” Birch said. 

As construction continues, spaces will continue to decrease offering even fewer spots for upcoming juniors and seniors. Even with spaces opening up throughout the year, it is unlikely that sophomores will be able to park. 

“It’s not in the cards at all for sophomores to drive, that’s probably not going to be a reality this year,” Birch said. “We still offer daily tags for students who have to drive for an emergency. But unfortunately it doesn’t look like sophomores [will drive.]”

However, a recent contract with Hackmann Road Church of Christ has allowed students to park in the church’s parking lot. This announcement means everyone who applied for a parking spot at the beginning of the year will be able to receive one.