Posted by Mom, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Oct 4, 2012 at 4:41 pm

That is such a strange and rude entry system. Let's remember that all Palo Alto families pay property taxes and the school parcel tax...

Posted by Paly Parent, a member of the Palo Alto High School community, on Oct 4, 2012 at 4:58 pm

I have been to these fairs before. A staggered entry system is a great idea. Many students start leaving by 7.00 pm so it is a great idea to have some people arriving later to avoid too much rush at the beginning and help with parking. There is no "first come get a better service", everyone is catered for, but if everyone arrived at the beginning it would be just too busy.

I also love the fact that the students can get there earlier than the parents, does this say something???

Posted by Hmm, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Oct 4, 2012 at 6:21 pm

The entry system is probably driven more by practical concerns than "priority access." Kind of tricky to establish that a non-PAUSD student is in fact a PAUSD resident, since most students do not have anything official that shows their current address (unless they have a drivers license). If there were a practical way, it would kind of make sense - though I agree with the second poster that "getting in first" is not that big a deal.

Posted by Mom, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Oct 4, 2012 at 7:37 pm

Am I the only one that thinks it's strange to split up students and parents? Our family is making the $200,000 investment decision as a team, with financial reality a significant factor in choosing a college. Am I really going to drop off my student at 6 and then sit for 45 minutes in the parking lot waiting for my turn to enter as a parent?