Oxford Academy began the school year in a frenzy as solar panel construction shut down the parking lot, the last of Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD) schools to implement the initiative. While select AUHSD campuses were prioritized to receive construction over summer break instead of during the school year, the district neglected Oxford’s small campus size and geographically spread-out student body — the majority of which resides outside of Cypress — leading to major traffic issues and placing parking significantly further away from campus. AUHSD failed to consider Oxford’s uniqueness when implementing the project.
Initially, Principal Houston requested construction to be delayed to avoid conflict with the 2023-24 school year. According to AUHSD’s Executive Director of Facilities, Maintenance and Operations Patricia Neely, the district did delay Oxford’s construction but postponed it to the beginning of the following school year due to technical complications surrounding construction, failing to address Oxford’s original concern of the project coinciding with students and staff on campus.
The lack of parking especially disadvantages Oxford’s commuting students. Eighty-one per cent of Oxford’s 1,317 students reside outside of Cypress.
As one of the smallest AUHSD schools, Oxford lacks facilities compared to schools like Katella High School, whose administration opened parts of the athletic fields as temporary parking when construction overlapped with the school year. Similar alternatives are not viable at Oxford, which should have been considered when arranging for construction. The lack of parking especially disadvantages Oxford’s commuting students. Eighty-one per cent of Oxford’s 1,317 students reside outside of Cypress; students of most other AUHSD schools who live within proximity of their school and are able to walk or bike. Oxford’s geographically spread-out population is stripped of such alternative commuting options.
“We go all the way to Anaheim Stadium. That’s a far commute,” Principal Houston said. “The majority of our families do not have the option to walk and get here easily.”
To compensate for the loss of campus parking, Oxford administration took initiative to collaborate with the Cypress mayor, Community Center, Police Department, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for students and staff to temporarily use their parking lots. Oxford administration invited AUHSD staff to solidify logistics at meetings after these arrangements had been made.
While handling school issues is the administration’s responsibility, AUHSD has an overarching responsibility for all of its schools and should have offered direct aid beforehand. The district’s timeline for Oxford’s construction failed to scope out alternatives for non-local students and staff. AUHSD has an obligation to consider each site’s special circumstances when making major decisions but failed to meet this responsibility, as Oxford students and staff navigate transportation confusion and inconveniences.
While the solar panel construction is expected to finish by Nov. 29, AUHSD must take closer consideration of individual campuses’ needs when managing future construction projects that heavily disrupt schools’ daily routines.
