Over 190 juniors and seniors at NC found pink slips tucked under the windshield wipers of their vehicles on Tuesday, January 8.

“Three weeks prior to the December holiday, [administration] made an announcement every day telling kids to purchase their permits to avoid getting a ticket when they returned from holiday break. A lot of kids didn’t do that, so they got issued tickets,” administrator Kiel Southwell said.

A parking permit falls under the list of requirements for students to park in either the upper or lower lot outside of the school. Students who wish to park on campus must purchase permits before the start of every semester and have the small sticker inside the windshield of their car before they begin parking in either lot. If a student parks with an outdated permit or without one at all, they will receive a ticket. NC officers, such as Officer Dunkerton, perform spontaneous weekly checks for permits.

“The first ticket [a student gets] is $10, the second is $20, and every one after that is $30. Now, once you get your fourth ticket, at that point you could be towed,” Southwell said.

Students express regret and disappointment along with their annoyance for the tickets.

“On one hand, it’s fair because they did give us a lot of time before the break and I will admit that. On the other hand, I think there should have been better communication because I had even asked my teachers the day before the ticket if I would get one and even my teachers didn’t think so, so I would have liked a warning. I now have to give NC $60 [the parking permit and cost of the ticket] just to park in their parking lot, which is kind of ridiculous,” Magnet junior Maggie Glancy said.

NC students, having experienced a lesson learned, now scramble to purchase their parking permits and replace their light blue stickers from last semester with a pop of pink.