On October 13, a planned parking walkout was canceled after student organizers reached a deal with the administration. The students were protesting the lack of available student parking in the FCCPS-owned lots, considering the 60 dollar monthly fee to park in the adjacent Virginia Tech parking lot, a cost that could amount to up to 600 dollars for a student.

Approximately 40 new spots will be available in the Mary Ellen Henderson parking lot next to the turf practice fields, which sparked interest among juniors who have not been allowed to apply for parking on school grounds. The administration had previously restricted parking in this lot as they believed it was needed for teachers. However, students collected data on the number of free spaces to park and found that there were around 45 spaces consistently open.

The walkout drew mixed reactions from students around the school, particularly non-juniors who either have student parking already or don’t drive at all.

“Just don’t park at [the Virginia Tech parking lot] if you aren’t willing to pay,” senior Belarmino Castillo-Juarez said.

Other students, such as senior Elijah Pelton, raised questions over whether students who had already paid would be receiving a refund.

However, many students seemed to favor the walkout, with the petition quickly reaching over 250 signatures and the Instagram account @parkingadvocacygroup garnering more than 160 followers. Students will be able to apply for the new spots using a lottery system that will become available within the coming weeks.