At Camas High School, students and staff take pride in their safety. The administration works hard at setting boundaries that are reasonable while still protecting its student body. Some students refuse to adhere to the rules and procedures put in place to keep them safe.  

Due to the increasing number of students deciding to cross the road to the North Parking Lot through traffic, the CHS staff has decided to enforce the rule that students must cross at the designated crosswalk.  The Dean of Students, Mr. Sanford, said, “when I am supervising the crosswalk, students use it more because they know that’s what they are supposed to do.” 

Some students and staff have contributed ideas on how the parking lot can be made a safer area. Mr. Sanford said, “maybe having some more people out there with me supervising.” He also believes that moving the crosswalk to a different, more convenient location in the future could also solve the problem. Students who use this crosswalk also contributed ideas. Sophomore  Bryan Hansel said, “Maybe putting the crosswalk and a different location or extending the chain a little longer would help fix the problem.”

Some staff members have an idea on why students occasionally lack to use the crosswalk. Math teacher Mrs. Cook said, “I think sometimes students are in a hurry and just forget in the moment.” Students probably play the biggest part in this issue and what needs to happen to fix it, some students share that they might be in a hurry or possibly just don’t feel like using it. Sophomore Jack Gibson said, “sometimes I just don’t want to have to walk all the way down the sidewalk just to cross.”

Overall, students should use the marked crosswalk to go to the far South lot to help alleviate traffic after school and to prevent accidents from happening. After all, the main priority of the school is to keep its students safe. Changes may be on the way, but, for now, students should follow the precedent set by the administration. Mr. Sanford said, “I understand that it’s not the most convenient spot for a crosswalk, but we want our students to be safe.”