The best hangout spot is the school bathrooms, or at least it seems to be considering how much time many students spend there during the day. Whether they are drawn to the bathrooms due to the lack of supervision, the privacy or just because it gives them a break from school, it has ruined the human right of having a sufficient amount of bathrooms open.
This school year, the amount of vandalism at PV has increased drastically compared to prior years. It may be due to time away from school because of COVID, trends on social media or simply because students want to fit in. No matter the reason, it has become clear that the actions of some lead to punishments for all.
As students walk around the school hallways, one thing stands out: the bright orange signs on the bathroom doors stating they are closed. At first glance, it may seem like a maintenance issue, but as the weeks pass by and more and more bathrooms close, many wonder what the real reason is.
There have always been rules set in place to ensure kids are not using the restroom as a way to skip class, but by closing them, students have begun to miss more class time than they have in the past. The ability to make a quick stop in the bathroom during passing has led to a lengthy endeavor with longer lines and less stalls available, causing many to be late to class.
Not only are students missing class due to being late, but if one needs to use the bathroom during class, the usual three-minute trip has now turned into a 10-minute one. Students must walk across the school to reach a bathroom, only to walk back, causing them to miss a fourth of the period.
Principal Darren Erickson explained why so many bathrooms have been closed around the high school, “What has happened is that students have been going into bathrooms and hanging out by sitting on the countertops, made for sinks, causing them to pull away from the wall. This in turn will eventually lead to the water pipes being pulled out of the wall,” he stated. “In one bathroom we have one stall not working, but students crawl under to use that toilet which has no water meaning our custodial crew spends an extensive amount of time cleaning it.”
Not only does Erickson deal with destruction of school property with students, but he also handles emails from students and parents regarding their concerns with the closures. Their concerns range from bladder control issues to emotional wellbeing to legal problems. According to the Iowa Plumbing Code for educational systems, it is required to have one toilet per 50 students.
With the closures of three bathrooms around the school, PV is under that legal limit for their 1,600-person high school. Although they are not accommodating for all students, they are not breaking the law. The bathrooms that do happen to be closed are also the ones located in the older parts of the building, leaving them out of the code. These bathrooms are some of the newest in the school with the recent renovations, but due to their location in the building, they are not included in the state’s numbers.
Senior Anika Schmidts has been a student at PV for her entire high school career and never thought much about using the bathroom, until this year. “The amount of time it takes for me to walk around the school looking for a bathroom is the same amount it would take me to use the bathroom closest to my class and get back without missing too much,” she explained. “How [does staff] expect us to use the bathroom in less than five minutes if half of the bathrooms that are available to us are closed? With our school growing in population, the square footage grows with it.”
In addition to students frustrated with the closures around the schools, teachers are as well. They too need to use the restroom throughout the day and they are suffering themselves with the closures. What used to be an easy trip during passing period has now turned into missing parts of class and therefore losing valuable instructional time.
Social studies teacher Sara Russell has expressed her concern with the bathroom closures but is more unsettled with the destruction of school property. “I think the closed bathrooms, while a huge inconvenience to both students and teachers, point to a larger problem which is vandalism and general mistreatment of our building,” she stated. “It can be hard to stand up to your friends, but it is really important that if students know these things are happening that they come forward. It really stinks that so many people have to suffer because of the actions of a few. We’re better than this.”
Although it may seem that PV has taken away the human right of going to the restroom, other schools in the area have taken measures to ensure restrooms remain unharmed. Districts in Illinois have closed every bathroom in the school except for two where students have to sign in and out with a staff member. This greatly cut down on the number of vandilizations occurring in the school, but it left many students feeling frustrated with staff and their fellow classmates.
PV has yet to go to these extremes, but if these actions continue to occur, such a measure may be the only option left.
There are many ways to solve this problem, but the main way is for students to realize that their actions have consequences, not only for themselves, but for everyone around them. The quicker the trend of damaging school property ends, the sooner more bathrooms will be opened up again.
Kris Basnet • Feb 10, 2022 at 3:12 pm
This was a well written article ! This basically talked about everything that needed to be said with the new bathroom closures at PVHS. I liked how in the beginning you stated ¨This school year, the amount of vandalism at PV has increased drastically compared to prior years. It may be due to time away from school because of COVID, trends on social media or simply because students want to fit in¨. This really sums up why so many bathrooms are being closed. I also did not know there was maintenance code for how many toilets need to be opened for a x amount of students, that was very interesting to know. Trying to find a open bathroom close to your class is something we all hope to see in our future, great article !
Elsa • Feb 10, 2022 at 10:48 am
This article is so well said Lauren! I really liked how you shred that the usual three-minute trip has now turned into a 10 minute trip as you have to walk across the school to reach a bathroom. I have found myself multiple times searching for an open restroom and then when I get there, there’s usually a line of people waiting. I found the information about Illinois quite interesting. I know everyone wants to see their friends and try to catch up in the bathroom but it gets concerning when there are over 10 people packed into a small space either chatting with friends, waiting in line, washing their hands, or something else.
Makena Richards • Feb 9, 2022 at 10:01 am
This was a very good article, Lauren. I like how you said that “the actions of some lead to punishments for all.” This resonated with me because it’s so true. Only a handful of people are the problem, but everyone suffers because of them. I agreed with the part about how trips to the bathroom are much longer now due to the closings of certain restrooms. It is inconvenient for both students and teachers. A quick stop during passing period is nearly impossible now. I found it interesting that schools in Illinois are having people check in and out of bathrooms. It is a hassle, but at least there is less damage.