Ishika Desai

The upstairs bathrooms in the social studies hallway were the source of the water flow on September 16.

On Sept. 16, as students were dismissed from seventh period, students discovered a pool of water seeping into the social studies hallway from the second-floor bathrooms.

This incident is just one of many similar maintenance problems at Pleasant Valley High School. Students have reported plumbing incidents of dirty water from water fountains, out-of-order stalls and now, flooded hallways.

Bathroom maintenance issues have been common at the high school. With trends like “devious licks,” maintenance became an increasingly difficult task.

PV, like many other high schools around the nation, has been combating vandalism in the bathrooms. Students have been taking stall doors, soap dispensers and clogging toilets with various different items. The misuse of restrooms has disproportionately affected janitorial staff who have had to handle this task while also dealing with their day-to-day duties.

While water flooding into hallways is a new issue, lavatories being shut down due to continuous upkeep has been an ongoing problem. “The bathroom in front of Mrs. Russell’s room has been closed repeatedly for different maintenance issues. The male restroom around the corner near the science hallway which recently opened was also periodically closed and unable to be used,” explained teacher Joe Youngbauer. 

The Sept. 16 incident was caused by an issue with the toilet valve. The valve continued to release water, which eventually overflowed. The water then began to seep down into the first-floor Publications computer and camera rooms. 

The school combated this issue by shutting down every bathroom and water fountain, as they all come from a singular water line. This line then had to be repaired before the water could be run through a new filter and to remove any impurities.

This left students with a new problem: brown drinking water.

“I was just walking to go fill up my water bottle and when I went to fill it the water was brown. It caught me off guard because filling up your water is typically an insignificant part of your day,” shared senior Halima Talbi. “Students shouldn’t have to worry about having clean water while at school, and I hope administrators put more effort into school maintenance so these problems don’t continue.”

It is undetermined if the school will take steps to prevent future bathroom hazards. To modernize the plumbing systems, the school would have to allocate funds for a multi-million dollar repair project. 

But as PV moves forward with its building expansion, talks of bathroom renovations have been tabled.

Dean of students Jamie Homb advises students to remain vigilant and uphold habits of cleanliness to prevent any future issues. “Keeping bathrooms in a good place is a responsibility for all of us. Again, we tell people see something, say something. If we could use bathrooms for what they’re intended for and limit defacing, then things would hold out a lot longer,” explained Homb. 

As a school committed to excellence, it is important that standards for maintenance are kept. “We all have high expectations of this place, from the education we receive, the extracurriculars that we participate in and the physical space we teach and learn in,” said Youngbauer.