Lafayette High School first opened its doors in 1939 in Lexington, Kentucky. Lafayette is known to have the largest high school student body in Kentucky. Lafayette has around 2400 students enrolled, including students from the School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCAPA), which causes the population to increase yearly. The school could be more suitable for its large student population this year.
There are numerous problems this year due to the large student population. These issues include crowded halls, buses, and classrooms. Before, during, and after school, you can find the hallways crowded and hard to commute between. The science wing is the worst to get through because of its small and narrow hallways. The overcrowding causes foot traffic and makes many students late to class daily. Teachers are also affected by the crowding in the hallways. Many students come in late, need more instructional time, and disrupt their classes.
Hallways are just one place where overcrowding negatively impacts students. Many classes here are overfilled with students. This can cause distractions and make it harder for students to learn and listen to lectures or instructions. For example, one of the CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) classes has over 40 students in it, causing it to be difficult for teachers to ensure everyone is on task. Having bigger classes also makes it harder for teachers to connect with all students. It can be challenging for students with issues focusing in class to communicate with their teachers about concerns. A possible solution to this problem could be adding more classrooms to Lafayette to resolve overpopulation and hallways to avoid overcrowding, such as preventing these issues and adding onto the existing SCAPA building to make more room.
The Lafayette Times interviewed sophomore Alyssa Lucas, asking if she has been negatively affected by Lafayette’s crowded hallways. Lucas responded, “I haven’t been tardy to a class because of the packed hallways, but there have been times where I almost have been. Going from class to class is hard, especially in the Science and English hallway because everyone runs into each other, and it’s hard to get through.”
Buses are also negatively impacted by Lafayette’s enormous population of students. Numerous routes are affected by the need for more buses and bus drivers. During last year’s school year, buses were so packed that some students had to stand up due to there being no more seats on the bus. This is a significant safety issue and can lead to severe injuries. For example, if there are three students in a seat and some standing, a car accident could lead to serious, if not fatal, injuries. Another safety issue is if there’s a fire. Due to the overcrowding and shortage of buses, it would be harder for the students to quickly evacuate since there would be more students than the buses could fit. Having a more significant number of students on buses can also lead to distractions for the bus drivers and make it a dangerous situation.
There can also be advancements to make more room for the surplus of students, like creating a new facility for the SCAPA students so Lafayette could add to the prior structure.
Lafayette’s overcrowding issue negatively affects students, teachers, and bus drivers. It leads to safety issues, tardies, and distractions for students, teachers, and bus drivers. Many students agree that Lafayette has an overcrowding problem and faces problems because of it. There are many solutions to giving students the learning environment they need and deserve.
