Last month, a few school restrooms got shut down due to constant damage by students. Since then, wait times grew longer while privileges were taken away. This also sparked worries over hygiene and student conduct. Students started speaking their thoughts on restroom conditions and current rules, along with possible fixes. Most students think shutting things down blames all students for what just a few did wrong. Chase Schillinger, someone who goes to the restroom often midday, says trashing the bathroom shows poor judgment. “It’s very childish of the people to be vandalizing the school bathrooms,” Schillinger said. “We should be old enough to use a bathroom without ruining it.”

The shutdowns aren’t just a hassle, there’s more to it. Some kids mention the ones still open tend to be dirty awkward to deal with. Take Genesis Roberts, for example, someone who almost never steps into the restrooms at school because she thinks they’re so bad. She thinks most people skip them completely. “I feel safe, but it’s not the most clean environment,” Roberts said. “I wouldn’t say I’m comfortable because it’s not the cleanest place.” The talk around restroom policies sparked questions on adding more limits or extra supervision at school. Although a few argue tougher steps might cut down damage, many students feel a closer watch would cross a line.

“You shouldn’t have to be monitored while you pee,” Roberts said. Bathroom habits change from student to student. Some go just out of necessity, whereas others treat it like a timeout spot. According to Schillinger, the restroom can be an escape from loud surroundings. “I’m usually in there a lot, sometimes to use the bathroom, but also to take a break,” Schillinger said. While kids don’t agree on dealing with graffiti, they all care deeply about bathroom hygiene. They believe fixing this would matter more than anything else right now, because fresh spaces just feel better. “Students need to flush the toilet and keep it clean,” Schillinger said.

Roberts thinks the school might use today’s signout method to catch when damage happens so staff can see who was around then. “If the bathroom gets vandalized, you can have a rough idea of who was in there and when,” Robert said.

Two students think keeping bathrooms clean could really help. Others think that group effort and consistent cleaning might make things feel less restricted and more hygienic. “For one, the sinks shouldn’t have handles you have to hold down, because that’s nasty,” Roberts said. Even though the school tries to stop more harm
to bathrooms, some kids think real improvement changes on whether people treat restrooms properly. “A clean environment would make everything better,” Schillinger said.