Every August, as students return to school, they face updated rules, expectations, and changes. Just this year, students have experienced new teachers, new bells, a new building, rigorous attendance requirements, the locking of the courtyard, bathroom monitors, and the stricter enforcement of E-hall pass.
While all of these changes have been impactful, the monitoring of bathrooms has caused the most havoc.
Every class period, one teacher is assigned to monitor a set of restrooms. The teachers allow three students in each bathroom at a time and ensure students are signing in and out, while also providing timestamps of their arrival and departure.
Although students were not thrilled with the introduction of bathroom monitors, most understood the administration’s reasoning behind implementing new rules. But recently, students have grown in anger as bathrooms are being continuously shut down during the school day.
Senior Madelyn Jones expresses her feelings about this topic.
“It is frustrating and stressful when you’re trying to use the bathroom, but all of them are closed,” Jones said.
There are four sets of bathrooms available to students. Two sets are downstairs and the other two are upstairs. In order for a bathroom to be open, a monitor has to be present, so when teachers are absent or unavailable to watch over the restrooms, they are being shut down. This poses an issue for students as they have to search for an open restroom while on a time limit.
Senior Aidan Williams has experienced this.
“When you have to walk upstairs, use the bathroom, and be in your next class on time, you’re bound to be late,” Williams said. “I’ve been late because I had to walk across the school to find an open bathroom.”
Sophomore Chase Potter also has opinions on this.
“With our E-hall Pass system and how it times us, it’s super unacceptable when I have to walk across the school and come back and then see how long it took,” Potter said.
As the year continues, some students are eager to see the change and progression of the current bathroom situation. They have high hopes for positive change.
