Parking and driving issues are common everywhere and Decorah High School is no exception

After school traffic congestion is common in front of high school as parents park to the right to pick up John Cline students

When Decorah High School was built over 50 years ago, it was mostly upperclassmen who had cars and drove themselves to school. Today many families send more than one car to school each day as siblings have different schedules and activities after school. It is very common for students to each have their own car. 325-350 high schoolers drive themselves to school each day in the fall.  By the end of the school year as many as 400 students will drive to school on a daily basis.

There are approximately 325 parking spots in the lots surrounding the high school. This includes the parking lot to the east and north side of the building, the Keystone parking lot, the circle drive in front of the school, the band lot and the baseball lot. About 70 spots in these areas are reserved for staff and visitors during the school day. Claiborne Drive has about 90 street parking spots. Staff and underclassmen with a license or a school permit can park on Claiborne Drive on a first come, first serve basis. Juniors and seniors are allowed to park in the baseball, band and Keystone lot.

Decorah HS Athletic Director Adam Riley says common parking problems that exist for the high school involve students parking in areas that are not designated for parking, parking in staff spots and parking in spots reserved for bank workers in the Keystone lot. Another issue is when there are events at the high school parking fills up quickly, which causes people to park in areas that the school tries to keep open for emergency vehicles. Another common issue the high school struggles with is students leaving trash in the Keystone lot, even with trash receptacles in the area.

Riley says in addition to the parking issues, there are traffic issues. "Since the reformatting of the intersection of Claiborne Drive and State Street, we have seen the speeds decrease of drivers in the area, which is good for elementary students at John Cline. However, we are constantly needing to remind students to drive appropriately around the building as we see many adults and students alike driving too fast," says Riley.

After school each day, the high school assigns an adult to the Keystone lot to make sure students do not turn left or west out of the lot. This reduces congestion on Claiborne Drive by the tennis courts as parents of elementary school children wait to pick up their kids, which improves traffic when John Cline students are released from school.  "Sending more cars with our most inexperienced drivers towards our youngest students is not safe. Thus, if we send the students in a different direction we hope to create a much safer and less congested traffic pattern." Riley explained.

The next time you drive by the high school, remember to slow down and be mindful of younger drivers. When arriving for an event, come early to park, and be prepared for a little walk, as coveted parking spots close to the high school building are few and far between.

Juniors and seniors are allowed to park in the baseball lot and the band lot

Claiborne Drive offfers parking for underclassmen

Claiborne Drive

Keystone Parking lot is designated for junior and senior students