With the increasingly encroaching issue of student parking, or the lack thereof, it is only natural to attempt to place responsibility on the party behind the controversy of Flipside parking. However, it would be unjust to simplify a matter involving students, administration and local business to a right-wrong problem.

Students and Flipside business owners aim to lay the burden of blame upon insufficient parking space on campus, but I believe the situation extends beyond mere shortsighted planning.

The proposed student population was 2800; the current population is 3618. This discrepancy between expectation and reality has caused a shortage of space of all kinds, especially parking; and, with the class of 2018 being the largest yet, it is not just an issue of today.

Coming up even sooner is the wave of new drivers as the year progresses threatening to flood an already drowning situation. Although the school can predict these population fluxes, they stem from a district and city size issue making it more complicated than may seem.

I am not saying that none of the safety and transportation situation is at the hands of the school. This is especially true, because it would be solved with more on campus parking, but the work that goes into constructing those spots is expensive in time, money and manpower. Anyways, there is “no additional parking this school year,” said Principal Dan Serrano.

So, despite the fact that students should not be forced to park across Queen Creek Rd., his holding just the school responsible for something beyond their control is a little ridiculous.

But on the flipside of the matter, students should not get off scot free either. After all, whose driving was causing concerns at the Totspot Preschool?

The reckless actions that brought the Flipside controversy to attention in the first place were done by the students who parked there, definitely not the lack of action by the school board.

“In the end if a student is driving erratically, it’s their issue,” said Serrano.

Beyond being students, all drivers have a responsibility to operate a car with care and attention for those around them. The setting of the school lot or a public one does not change that. In fact, knowledge that there are toddlers in the vicinity and on a similar transportation schedule should serve as reason to drive with even more caution than normal.

With two or three near misses reported to the daycare each week, this caution is far from being observed.

It is not always easy to accept inconvenient situations, and be burdened with further regulations, but while the school resolves its responsibility for providing parking, it falls upon the students to ensure they use the Flipside lot with care.