MV violations to bring loss of parking privilege
BY LARRY HLAVENKA JR.
Correspondent

For seniors in the Freehold Regional High School District, a speeding ticket won't only cost them a few dollars in fines - it will now cost them the privilege of parking in the student lot as well.

When the district's six high schools open in September, a new driving program aimed at making student drivers think twice about speeding, running red lights and committing other motor vehicle violations will officially be under way. As part of the program, student drivers who receive tickets for moving violations will be subject to losing their parking spot at school.

The first offense will net a 30-day parking ban at school; a second offense will bring a 60-day parking ban; a third offense will bring a 90-day parking ban; and a fourth offense will result in a total loss of parking privileges. Students who are determined to be the cause of a motor vehicle accident will face the same penalties.

Following a school year in which motor vehicle accidents claimed the lives of six current or recently graduated FRHSD students, Superintendent of Schools James Wasser sprang into action.

"Even though we had things in motion, all of those incidents pushed the envelope to move even faster," he said. "I don't want to lose any more kids. I don't want to have another year like this year."

Wasser said there are multiple phases to the program which began in part early this year.

First, the New Jersey Safety Council provided speakers and materials for mandatory instructional sessions on driving safety. The sessions were held for juniors at the district's six schools and were provided in addition to the students' existing driver's education classes.

The next step was to train the district's administrators and teachers.

According to the Wasser, the third phase provided the most acrimony: requiring parents to attend a mandatory instructional session.

"I attended the program at Freehold High School and I did see some resistance," Wasser said. "People were saying, 'Why are we going to these programs?' and 'You're making us go to this?' "

Nonetheless, the parent component focused on ways adults can instill safe driving habits in teenagers and stressed the importance of a parent's role in their children's driving. During the program, attendees were shown videos which featured stories of parents who lost their children in automobile accidents.

"It was a very, very powerful program," Wasser said, adding that this year the program was paid for with a state grant. In the future, the district may be able to run the classes with its own teachers providing the instruction, he said.

Wasser said the final part of the program is the most important: to involve local police departments.

After meeting with the police chiefs of the district's eight sending municipalities, a system of reporting student drivers to the district's central administration was created. Going forward, when a student from any of the district's six high schools is pulled over or gets into an accident in the eight municipalities, the police department will notify district administrators. In other words, even if a student lives in Manalapan, is pulled over in Marlboro, and attends Colts Neck High School, he or she will not be able to escape the long arm of the law.

To parents who may believe Wasser is overstepping his bounds, the superintendent said he is acting well within his jurisdiction.

"I can do it because parking is not a right of passage, it is a senior privilege - just like participating on a team is a privilege," he said, noting that a parking spot is not "a requirement of the educational system."

For now - barring any legal challenges which may force administrators to tweak the policy - as soon as the district learns of a student receiving a ticket, that student's parking space will be revoked. Wasser said although some parents may believe the district is circumventing due process, "If you have a kid who a law enforcement person gave a ticket to, [the police] feel they did something wrong. What lesson are we teaching that maybe you can just get out of it in court?"

Still, Wasser said he is not trying to ruffle feathers, he is trying to create a safer environment for students.

"All I want, there's only one thing, I just want people to open their minds and be aware," he said. "I'm not trying to be someone's parent, I have my own three children. When I became superintendent, my No. 1 goal was the safety and security of my [students]. My teachers can educate them; my job is to protect them."

Moreover, Wasser said he understands how important the parking spaces are to seniors, but with that privilege comes responsibility.

"[Students] want that spot so bad, so if it is that important to them, then what are they willing to give up?" he asked. "Are they willing to give up speeding or not wearing their seat belt? If that opens up kids' minds and they're more aware because we're bombarding them with this information, I think we're going to save lives."

Even before the program's full implementation, Wasser was named to Gov. Jon Corzine's Teenage Driver Safety Study Commission after recommendations from state Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth and Mercer) and state Sen. Ellen Karcher (D-Monmouth and Mercer). In March, Corzine visited Marlboro High School to sign the bill which created the study commission. Ironically, the commission has stalled in the months after Corzine's own motor vehicle accident which nearly took his life.

However, with the governor healthy again, the study commission's first meeting should take place soon. The commission is expected to review issues associated with young drivers, including the driving age and the graduated driver's license program.

"I'm looking forward to meeting with the governor and the other people on the commission and offering insight," Wasser said, adding that the "ground swell" of attention regarding teenage driver habits puts the FRHSD at the forefront of the trend. "I think we're the pioneer on this one. This has a potential to be a model in the county and state."