Students at Pius X have recently experienced car vandalism and accidents in the parking lots.
“I wish that since we are paying for our spots, our cars were better protected,” senior Jackson McClung said. McClung parks in the east lot.
Parking spots in the Pius X parking lots cost $100 every school year. There are two separate parking lots on either side of Pius X. Parking is also available for students at the church across the street. These parking spaces are sold separately and are not a liability of Pius X.
Since it is teenage drivers parking in the lots, there is a risk of car damage. The problem is that people do not own up to the damage they do.
“When someone hit my car door, I was completely shocked that they didn’t stick around to tell me or leave me a note,” senior Brie Baumfalk stated.
It is a Nebraska law that if you hit a parked car, you are legally obligated to leave a note with your information on it.
“It was annoying that I had to ask the office for camera footage to find out who did it, when they should’ve left a note in the first place,” Baumfalk said.
Not only is it a hassle for the person who is hit, but it is also expensive.
“I had $3000 worth of damage done to my car,” Baumfalk said.
Even more upsetting is when intentional damage is done to someone else’s car.
“I’ve had my car keyed in the Pius parking lot three times now,” senior Will Suelter said. “There’s $600- $700 of damage done to my car that I’m going to have to pay out of pocket, because there was a tree blocking the camera’s view of my car.”
The cameras that Pius X currently has cannot reach everywhere in the parking lots. There are plans for an upgraded security system.
“With our new addition, we are looking at the coverage of all our cameras, so we can find cameras that can more easily find what happened,” Principal Terry Kathol said.
When an accident or vandalism happens, be sure to report it. This helps the office to pinpoint a time when it occurred, so the footage can be sent to insurance companies. Vandalism is not tolerated at Pius X.
“Any student found guilty of vandalizing another student’s car can face anywhere from detention to expulsion. They will also have to pay for the damage done,” Kathol stated.
Administration takes these issues very seriously.
“Parking is a privilege, and we need to respect other people’s vehicles,” Kathol said. “But I would also like to remind students that when parking in any lot there is a risk.”
