The school’s new bathroom policy for the 2023-24 school year, including signing in and out of bathrooms, closing bathrooms during passing times and limiting bathrooms open during lunch, has unsurprisingly proven very unpopular with the student body.
The administration made the decision to limit bathroom access and create stricter rules when it comes to using the bathroom, citing vaping and fighting incidents in the bathrooms in past years. But students have strongly disagreed with the choice of closing most bathrooms during lunch and passing times.
“Last year students came to us and said…‘we are afraid to go into the bathrooms,’” assistant principal Dr. Kimberly Westervelt said.
The administration said they felt a need for a record of who is in the bathroom and at what time. This is useful for both safety and to see if a student is struggling in class. If a student is struggling, administration can see if it is because they are constantly going to the bathroom during that period. This will hold students accountable for how often they use the bathroom, and if it is affecting their school work.
During lunch, there are only three bathrooms open, specifically the cafeteria, 800s and 200s hallway. There is also one extra bathroom open during passing time, which is the 400s hallway.
These specific ideas were implemented because it will prevent students from going to the bathroom when they don’t have to or to just “hang out,” administrators said, adding that this aims to help reduce any damage or vandalizing in other bathrooms.
So far, the administration has received some positive feedback, adding they feel the policy is running smoothly and that kids are now not afraid to go to the bathroom.
“Students [say] that they do feel a little bit safer,” Westervelt said.
Although some students feel safer because of the new policies, others feel that it is an invasion of privacy and an inconvenience. The Wire conducted a poll of more than 300 students, and a vast majority have agreed that bathrooms being closed during passing times and during lunch are the biggest problems.
While having a split decision on signing in and out of bathrooms, out of 305 students polled, about 88 percent disagree or strongly disagree with bathrooms being closed in between classes. Students are worried that they are losing class time and missing work if they are only allowed to use the bathroom during class.
“Kids would go to the bathroom between classes so that they could go before it starts and not miss out on information,” said one student respondent, unnamed due to the Wire’s polling policy. “But now, since they are closed, they have to take time out of class to use the bathroom.”
About 79 percent of students dislike or strongly dislike having the bathrooms closed during lunch. Many are concerned about overcrowding because of only having one open bathroom. Some like using the bathroom in private and with less open restrooms during the busiest times of the day, it creates an inconvenience and line for students.
Some students are open to the idea of finding a middle ground and compromise, so that their most prominent issue of having more bathrooms open during lunch and passing times could be resolved.
“In the first Student Advisory Panel meeting, the idea of the 400s bathrooms being opened in passing times and during lunch was brought up, and I really think this is not only a want, but a need of the students,” another student who responded to the poll said. “Specifically for lunch, maybe we could put one of the teachers on lunch duty in those bathrooms, instead of having multiple in the cafeterias.”
There is a evident disparity between the administration’s intent and student opinion on this new policy. The administration said they believed the policy would ultimately create a positive environment with effective results, but it has also caused many issues and strong opinions from students.
