The bathroom policy is a familiar issue at South; students are left frustrated from leaving class to find locked and inaccessible bathrooms. Bathrooms are repeatedly being closed due to smoking, vaping, misuse, and skipping class inside the bathrooms. A small amount of students abusing the bathrooms has led to all students having to go through a complicated process just to use the restroom.
“Even when there is a bathroom open, it’s really dirty, to the point where I don’t even want to use it anymore and it doesn’t look like it’s being cleaned,” said sophomore Lily Singleton-Hill. She expressed how it’s unfair for students to have a limited number of passes, especially for students who get their menstrual cycle.
Phoebe Martinson, a sophomore at South agrees with Singleton-Hill regarding the passes. “If I use up all of my passes and I have to use the bathroom, then I can’t go, and that’s unfair.” Martinson thinks that the root problem is the way people are misusing the bathrooms, and what students are doing. “The people that skip are going to skip, and I think it’s hard to control that.” She said it’s awkward and uncomfortable waiting for people to leave the stalls they’re using when it’s super crowded. Singleton-Hill and Martinson agree that vape detectors and female staff outside of the female bathrooms would improve the situation. Female presenting students have expressed discomfort in having to ask male deans to unlock women’s restrooms.
Something as simple as going to the bathroom continues to be a complicated task. The bathroom policy has changed from last year, the bathrooms are locked more consistently, and students don’t always know what to do when they go to find a locked bathroom. Martinson and Singleton-Hill both stated they do not know the current policy, and that teachers, deans, or admin have not communicated it. “There needs to be a solution where the bathrooms can stay open, without those activities being done,” said Singleton-Hill.
Bathrooms being closed off causes more issues than just privacy. For many students, they can be a place to calm down, regulate emotions, and take a short break from a loud class. “Sometimes kids just need to go to the bathroom to calm down or get some space, and teachers won’t let them do that right now,” said Singleton-Hill. The closure of the bathrooms is leaving students feeling stuck; many believe their basic needs shouldn’t suffer. Finding a way to keep bathrooms open while handling these issues could make a huge difference for everyone.
“It feels like there is no obvious thing to do when there’s a bathroom locked. They’re either locked or a mess, or both,” said Martinson. As of recently, there should be an announcement every morning of what bathrooms are open, but students haven’t always found that to be clear, or true. Often the announcements say the first floor women’s restroom should be open, but many times students have gone, it’s locked. Singleton-Hill and Martinson agree that it’s not a great situation, and the policy needs to be clearer. They agree that the bathrooms should be respected, and open for all students.
