Central High School is overcrowded. The students are packed in to classrooms; school capacity is at 110 percent; managing the hallways between classes is likened to sardines in a can.

And yet, the school board continues to approve open enrollment requests for Central, further taxing the already cramped space at the school and creating a learning disadvantage for Central students.

In the words of one board member, the requests are approved to support the "concept" of open enrollment. Historically, few requests are denied.

It's time to change history. The board has a responsibility to the students, staff and administration at Central to deny any future open enrollment requests and address the overcrowding.

Because of its population, Central students and staff face a number of issues that have no place at a high school: increased security risks, disorder, diminished learning environment and teachers spending valuable time dealing with issues brought on by packed classrooms rather than spending more time with students.

Students learn better in smaller schools and Central - with a student population of 2,400 is anything but small. And bringing more students into the school, for whatever reason, is a disservice to the entire student body.

Enrollment is a problem the district will be hard pressed to build its way out of. Building options cost upwards of $60 million, and that's the low end.

Open enrollment is a good thing. It allows students and parents to find the education option and school that best fits their needs.

But the benefits are lost when open enrollment is allowed to contribute to the overcrowding as it has at Central.

Crowded schools don't serve the teachers or students well. The Rapid City School District has adopted a 10-year plan to address the district's student population issues and Central is a priority.

But if Central continues at the rate it's going, any plan which comes years down the road could be too late.

That means the board has to deny open enrollment request. They also should engage in the conversations about some of the less than popular options to ease the crowding: revised school hours or even year round school.

Any changes that would result from those discussions - or from any of the other ideas to ease crowding - could be implemented far sooner than a building plan could be accomplished.

The high school population will continue to trend upward, there's no time to waste solving the overcrowding issue.

If not dealt with soon enough or aggressively enough, the students will be the losers in the end.