Over the summer a lot of improvements to the school concerning safety have been made. However, in some ways, some improvements have indirectly caused some conflict and/or grievances. This is specifically concerning the new gates that were put at each entrance and exit of the student parking lot.

Few effects have been positive in that they have discouraged bad behavior from taking place in the parking lot after hours and fewer problems around Big Sky while school is out of session.

However, there have been several problems that have come to the forefront with these new gates. This has been a problem for winter sports player especially and looks to pose a problem in the future.

The reasons for these issues are because vehicles in the parking lot get locked inside, resulting in no viable exits. Student-Athletes have had to get pretty creative and at times a little dangerous with there ways of getting home after a long bus ride home. Larger trucks and cars have less trouble with riding so high, which allows the cars to more easily go over the curbs. Some smaller vehicles and compact cars have more trouble getting out though.

This has become an issue because now it becomes an issue of possible injury and danger to come to students and their cars in not having an easy exit from school at a late hour.

Recently the boys’ basketball team returned home after a long bus ride from Kalispell and upon arrival at Big Sky many players were given a harsh awakening. The reason is that due to a gate being shut and the bus driver, unable to see the closed entrance, was forced to come to a screeching halt. Athletes at this time were casually grabbing their things from the overhead bins when they were suddenly thrown from where they stood. After the bus came to a stop all players and coaches were in disarray and scattered across the beachliner with luckily little injury to only a few.

You can make other excuses for some of these problems but the overlying factor is that the gates are inadvertently causing concerns to student safety and damage to property.

Which is the opposite of the point for having these gates.