Closing a street at Lawrence County High School during schoolhours would help control campus access, Monticello aldermen weretold Tuesday.

Principal Daryl Scoggins requested the board close Cowart Streeton the west side of the campus.

“We would like you to consider placing no parking signs alongCowart Street and close the street from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.,”Scoggins said. “We need to know who’s on our campus.”

School guests are required to register at the office, but theopenness of the campus makes it difficult to oversee those who donot, Scoggins said.

Students who drive to school must register their vehicles andreceive a parking decal. Underclassmen are allowed to park at thefootball field, while upperclassmen can park at the band hall,which fronts Cowart Street, but are not supposed to park along theroad.

The parking arrangements as well as the registrations allowschool officials to know who owns which vehicle in case of anemergency and also gives them the means to investigate whethersuspicious vehicles belong to students, Scoggins said.

“We don’t need (the road) to be permanently closed, just duringschool hours,” Scoggins said.

After discussion, aldermen agreed they needed more informationon the legal requirements of closing the road during school hours.Board Attorney Joe Dale Walker was not present.

Aldermen also were concerned about implications of closing theroad because Cowart Streets leads into Tommy Jolly Drive, which ismaintained by state aid, the requirements of which sometimes differfrom those of a community, Mayor David Nichols said.

“I think as long as we have that street blocked off for theschool it will be OK,” Alderman George Magee said while making amotion to vote on the matter at the next board meeting.