My kid goes to government school where they demanded he pay $40 per year to park in the school's parking lot. I was able to request the district to drop parking fees at not only his high school, but all of the area schools. I want to tell you how I did it.
The California constitution guarantees every child a free K-12 education and charging for parking would violate that precept. I filed a California Public Records Act request, which revealed the district collected around $77,000 last year in parking fees — and only charged students, not teachers or administrators.
A week before the new school year, I learned that parking would be free for the entire district. This is a tiny victory for community activism. I hope it can be a blueprint for involvement on an issue where government intersects your life.
--MR
