A typical morning for me is waking up at 6:30, getting ready, and trying my best to leave my house by about 7:45 or 7:50. One particular morning, I was running a little bit behind, so I didn’t have time to eat my breakfast at home, so I took it with me. I pulled into school at about 8:00 and began to eat my breakfast when I heard a loud tapping noise on my window. I jumped and rolled down the window to see a teacher hovering over my car. “You can’t be in your car,” he said sternly. “School rule says so.” I was really surprised. I had heard of this rule before but it was never enforced. So, I reluctantly got out of my car and continued eating my breakfast as I walked to class.

There is a rule at Randall stating that students may not linger in their cars before school hours. The administration argues that lingering in your car before school could lead to “bad behavior” such as smoking, drinking, or engaging in inappropriate behavior with another person. While these concerns are somewhat valid, the reality is that the vast majority of students are not doing these things. Most students are just listening to music, catching up on homework, or doing something as harmless as eating their breakfast. Students just want to enjoy a few more minutes to decompress before the school day begins.

The reason I think this rule should be modified is because not being able to be in my own car before school hours is an infringement on my rights. If students have their own car, I believe they should have the right to do what they want in it, with some limitations. A better alternative to the current rule would be to still have a parking lot monitor, but instead of kicking every single person out of their car, they should check to make sure students are not doing anything harmful and if they are, then appropriate measures should be taken. Otherwise, administrators and teachers should allow students who are not causing trouble to remain in their vehicles until the bell rings.