The Mycenaean

North Carolina allows students to get their license at the age of 16 if they have completed all of the legal requirements. 

For the first six months of being licensed, teenagers can drive from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. which allows students to drive to and from school. 

Leesville Road High School offers Parking Passes and Off-Campus Lunch Passes to their students.

A parking pass allows students to leave their car on school grounds.

Juniors and seniors get priority to parking passes, but if there is extra availability sophomores with a valid driver’s license are allowed to apply for a parking spot as well.

Even though sophomores may obtain parking spots,only juniors and seniors can apply for an Off-Campus Lunch Pass.

This pass allows upperclassmen to leave school during their lunch period.

During this time, juniors and seniors can go home, eat lunch in their car, or get food from restaurants in the area.

I am a licensed sophomore with access to a car and a Leesville Parking Pass.

Although I can drive myself to and from school, I am not allowed to go off-campus during my lunch period like the upperclassmen can.

I personally believe that this is unfair.

I believe in seniority and waiting for your turn, but if my car is sitting in the parking lot, why shouldn’t I be able to access it during my lunch period?

Other Leesville students agree with me.

“Licensed sophomores should be able to go off campus because they are driving to school anyways, so we should be able to go off on our own risk,” said Lindsey Ziolkowski, sophomore.

Another licensed sophomore wanted to voice her opinion. 

“We have our license, and we are paying for our spot; we should be able to go off,” said Saylor Matthews, sophomore.

Meanwhile, some students believe sophomores shouldn’t be able to get Off-Campus Lunch Passes.

“Sophomores are new drivers so they are inexperienced,” said Tyler Gomez, junior. 

I personally believe there is no harm in allowing licensed sophomores to go off campus, so we should be too.