Students came back to school after Spring Break to find a big surprise waiting for them: the outdoor sidewalk and parking lot along Kehrs Mill Road were closed.

We knew the sidewalk would eventually have to be shut down in order to make room for the library expansion, but a little warning would’ve been nice. Due to the lack of notice, the Monday following Spring Break was full of confusion and congested hallways.

With the closing of the sidewalk, students are deprived of their 30-second walk in the fresh air each day, which is especially disappointing because spring weather has finally arrived.

And to make matters worse, there are giant wooden boards covering up nearly every door leading outside towards Kehrs Mill Road. So not only are we deprived of the fresh air, we are also deprived of sunlight. Walking down the second floor hallway has become much like walking down the hall of a prison with no sunlight and no access to the outdoors.

The other inconvenience posed by the construction is students are no longer able to be picked up or dropped off in the back parking lot. Parents are not allowed to pick up their students in the neighborhood across from school and they can’t drive in the main loop until all the buses have left, so the only option is to wait in the student parking lot. That parking lot is already overcrowded with students doing some dangerous maneuvering in a desperate attempt to beat the other cars out of the lot.

Principal Dr. Greg Mathison said the Kehrs Mill parking lot was closed because the library construction zone extended into the loop, so cars can’t drive through. The lot is only open to staff and parents dropping off their children at preschool.

Dr. Mathison said it will take a little time to get used to and at first the change in routine will be upsetting, but people will find a new way of getting into school.

If you’re counting down the days until the lot will reopen, don’t hold your breath. Dr. Mathison said after construction is completed in a year and a half to two years, he will have to re-evaluate the lot to see if it will be accessible.