By Cal Wilson ‘14

Since the second week of September, security has been patrolling the back parking lot during lunch to ensure students are not leaving school grounds for lunch. As a precaution, students have been turned away from going to their cars during the school day, and some have received punishment for going to their vehicles.

Sherwood does not have an open lunch, and students are not allowed off school grounds during the lunch period unless they have an excusable reason such as a half-day schedule or a doctor’s appointment. However, incidents have occurred in which groups of students leave to purchase lunch off school grounds at nearby restaurants.

The punishment for leaving school grounds is a referral to the office, which can range from a student conference and detention to a suspension of one’s parking permit.

School security’s chief concern is students’ blatant disregard of the rules and the fact that they often bring other students along with them. Students loading their cars with two or three friends and leaving school grounds means they are putting their peers in danger as well.

Since the school is accountable for students at all times of the school day, security does not want an unidentified number of students at their cars, even to retrieve their bagged lunch or school materials. A student is, however, permitted to go to his car if he has a staff signature on a written pass.

A number of students are outraged about the new enforcement of the parking lot policy. “I am paying $75 to park [in the parking lot]. Why can’t I go get my lunch [from my car]? It’s on school grounds and I can eat anywhere on school grounds. I am not disrupting anyone or breaking any rules — I just want to get my lunch out of my car,” said senior Ari Kirschbaum.

Kirschbaum was given lunch detention in October after walking past a security guard to retrieve his lunch from his car after being told to turn around and go back inside. “I think it’s stupid I have to pay for over-priced lunch when I can pack my own. I don’t want to have to carry my lunch around with two other textbooks in my bag,” said Kirschbaum.

Along with guarding the parking lot to make sure students do not leave, security is also doing routine checks for parking permits and taking note of the tag number and owner of vehicles that do not have a permit so they can properly identify them in the future.

Beginning October 16, parking in the parking lot without a parking permit results in a $3 obligation for each time a student is caught illegally parked during school hours.

“Seventy to seventy-five percent do it right and get a permit. We are just trying to get the other 25 percent to step up and do the right thing,” said security team leader Patrick Rooney. “I think it is [working], we’re getting them in spurts … cracking down one day, 12 come in and pay [for a permit] the next day.”

This year, 212 total permits have been sold as of mid-October, compared to 260 sold last year. According to Rooney, the recession has led to a decline in parking permit sales, leading to a $7,000 margin between the money made this year and last year from permits.