Daily Herald opinion: When common sense could save everyone a lot of trouble
Rules exist for a reason. Without them, there would be chaos.
But rules can be changed for any number of reasons. Sometimes, they simply need to be bent a bit to save everyone a big headache.
That’s the case with Central High School student Gavin Hagge’s request to use his school parking lot. Allowing him to do so for medical reasons is one of those examples of where a little common sense could save a family, and a school district, a lot of trouble.
Gavin suffered a concussion while playing soccer as a sophomore for the school’s JV team in September 2023.
As staff writer Rick West details in a story in today’s paper, the Elgin teen continues to suffer from chronic headaches and sensitivity to light and sound. A neurologist recommended that Gavin get a temporary accessible parking pass because he didn’t want Gavin riding on a bus, or relying on his parents if he needed to leave school because of the condition.
The family notified the school before the year started that Gavin had an accessible parking placard and asked which of the eight designated accessible spots he should use.
The response from Central Unit School District 301: Gavin can’t park in the lot because he didn’t have a parking pass.
And he didn’t have a pass because, despite applying, he didn’t make the cut in the school lottery.
Unsure of his rights, Gavin didn’t park in the lot to start the year. But after consulting with attorneys — yes, attorneys are now involved — Gavin started using a handicapped space in mid-October.
On Nov. 11, Gavin was called into the assistant principal’s office and told that if he parked in the lot again, he would get detention, and potentially worse punishment if he continued to park there.
“He can park anywhere in the United States except his public high school,” his dad Eric told West.
In a statement Wednesday, the district says that while it doesn’t comment publicly on matters involving individual students, it disagrees with portrayals on social media that the matter is a simple case about a parking pass. They say important details are being omitted.
The district has offered to send a separate bus just to take Gavin to and from school, his mom Sharron said. That, mind you, would be at the district’s expense.
If you’re following along, a student who was injured playing sports for his school team can’t use one of the eight designated accessible parking spots because he doesn’t have a parking pass that he applied for but did not get.
It seems like there are accessible parking spots available. Nobody is complaining that he’s taking a reserved spot.
What key details does the district know that we don’t? Are those details worth the messy public fight they now find themselves in?
We doubt it.
Doctors are hopeful that Gavin’s situation will improve.
Common sense, in the meantime, calls for compromise.