Where have kids been hanging out lately that don’t involve spending money, have no adults, and have no set rules? For the past couple of years, they have been hanging out at the Linn-Mar parking lot. In the beginning, kids would go there just to make new friends and talk to other people, but today it has become a place where kids go to drink, rev their car engines, and be extremely loud late at night. Police are often called to the parking lot to deal with the troublemakers, and they either give them a warning or a ticket. Some people even take it as far as vandalizing the school’s property.
Tom Daubs, Linn-Mar’s school resource officer who previously worked for Marion, mentions how Marion, in today’s day and age, has no good places for kids to go to hang out, and unfortunately, the Linn-Mar parking lot has taken that place. Schools are not designed as social events. “I would rather pat you on the back than cuff your hands behind your back,” said Daubs. As kids, we don’t have many options for third spaces, so most end up in the parking lot. It has become the area where most kids from not only Linn-Mar but also Marion, Xavier, Kennedy, and Springville go to hang out.
Daubs personally doesn’t go out to the parking lot at night since he works during the day, but he does hear about the crazy experiences that happen there. “One time, Linn-Mar had construction happening on the south lot, and a student put a firework in the porta-potty,” said Daubs. The school handles it by either issuing a warning to the student or suspending them. At Linn-Mar, if they see a suspended student on school grounds during their suspension, the student will be given a $630 ticket.
Cierra Brandt, sophomore, goes to the parking lot and witnesses these actions firsthand. “Linn-Mar is a place where you either go to hang out with friends and race other people, or where you go to drink,” she said. She sees what happens and knows the dangers. “I really do believe it is causing an increase in drinking and driving, which is scary because not only is it putting them in danger, but everyone else as well,” said Brandt.
To combat the issue, Linn-Mar is now considering purchasing gates that students and staff can leave through but cannot enter. The school hopes that this will decrease the number of teens coming and keep the neighborhood up all night every weekend. Lately, officers have been pulling over cars and taking their IDs and putting them into their system so that if they get pulled over again, they will receive a ticket.
Since Linn-Mar is looking into this, and if they proceed to add these new additions, where will the new hangout spot be? Lots of kids think they will come to another school’s parking lot or Walmart. Wherever these kids go next, they will also face the same struggles that Linn-Mar faces today.
