Skating to school is now more convenient thanks to Palo Alto High School’s newest addition, a skateboard rack, which allows students to secure their boards and scooters during the school day.

The idea for a rack on campus came from Ashutosh Bhown, a senior who frequently skateboards to school. While Bhown rides a foldable skateboard that can  be stored in his school locker, he said he noticed that many other students could not fit their boards in their lockers, leaving them without a safe place to store their boards for the day. Because skateboarding isn’t permitted on campus, the skateboard rack provides a hassle-free solution, Bhown said.

“It’s the same thing as bikes —  you wouldn’t carry a bike on campus all day,” Bhown said. “So if you want to skate or scoot to class, which is more fun for some people, they can do that without the hassle.”

To get his idea approved, Bhown said he proposed the idea to Principal Adam Paulson. Then, following Paulson’s support, Bhown took his proposal to the PAUSD Board of Education and Supt. Don Austin.

“I followed up with him … and then it just showed up one day,” Bhown said.

Sophomore Charlie Rock, who frequently rides his electric skateboard to school, said he also saw a problem with bringing a board to school. The board, he said, is heavy, not to mention impractical to carry around all day. Rock’s current storage solution involves leaving the board in a teacher’s classroom during the day, but despite this, Rock said he doesn’t see himself using the skateboard rack any time soon.

“I think that the [racks] are a great option for many people, but I myself don’t think I will use them, due to the fact my current electric skateboard doesn’t fit in the slots,” Rock stated in a text.

So far, the skateboard rack has remained empty, but Bhown said he is confident that given some time, more students will take advantage of it.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be as popular as bikes, and there aren’t that many people using it right now,” Bhown said. “I think if it’s given some time, it’ll definitely work out.”