This past week, students at Design and Architecture Senior High were given parking tickets for parking on the empty lot by the train tracks. Design and Architecture Senior High, DASH, is a highly-ranked school nationally as well as #3 in the Miami-Dade school district. What makes DASH stand out from other Miami magnet schools is the fact that it attracts students from all over Miami, some even commuting over 2 hours a day. Many students cannot be driven to school and their only way of transportation is driving themselves. 

DASH is located in the middle of the Design District where finding an empty and FREE parking space is almost impossible. Many schools within Miami-Dade Public Schools have their own parking spaces, however, because of DASH's location that is simply not feasible. Students are at the school for over 8 hours and for many, paying hundreds of dollars a week is not an option and neither is paying an unnecessary $34 parking ticket daily. Most of the cars are under the students' parent's names and those tickets will, in turn, affect their parent's driving reputation. 

Due to the pandemic, many families have found it hard to provide money in general, adding parking + existing parking tickets will only add to that financial stress. Such expenses will put families who are a financial disadvantage in a position where they will cannot allow their children to recieve the best education they can. 

Students are hoping to have the district and school board grant them permission to park on these lots during school hours (7:00 AM-4:00 PM) without the fear of a parking ticket.