A quick bathroom trip used to take at most four minutes. But now, many students are forced to wait at least twice as long to secure a stop in the ever-growing bathroom lines.
During lunch, the time when most students take their bathroom break, only the first level has open bathrooms. Throughout the rest of the day, students are expected to consult a new spreadsheet created by administrators, logging which bathrooms are available for use.
Although this initiative directly affects the student body, staff were notified of its regulations before students. This sparked a lot of confusion as to why bathrooms were randomly being locked on some days while others remained completely locked for the entirety of the school day. “It’s so much harder for me to find a bathroom that’s actually unlocked. The unlocked bathrooms always have such long lines that take away my time to eat, do homework and ask questions,” junior Nhi Le said.
Later, it was delivered to the students that there was a set schedule for when bathrooms on specific floors would be available to use. At the beginning of the day and throughout lunch, only four bathrooms (including boys and girls) were set to remain open throughout the entire day. Unfortunately, these are the most common times when students take breaks and shelter for privacy.
Although taking breaks during class happens less often compared to other times in the day, it is not uncommon for an authorized student to leave class for a small break. Before the new policy was set in place, the student would take about five minutes to conduct business and return quickly to not miss any crucial information.
But with the initiative, a great problem arises: if nearby bathrooms are locked, students face the risk of losing even more class instruction as they waste time searching for open restrooms.
Using the bathroom is now a privilege more than a right.
It is possible that administrators choose to take this path as a possible solution for two major issues at RM: vaping and skipping class.
According to the CDC, a 2023 study found that 25.2 percent of high school students use e-cigarettes daily. This statistic has found a home in a majority of the “big stalls” throughout RM bathrooms. In this year alone, multiple students have been caught using their vapes and congregating in the “big stall” while class is in session.
Recently, Le witnessed many being turned away from an accumulating line in one open bathroom on the first level. Why was the line getting so long? There were only three stalls readily available for students although four are present in this bathroom. This fourth stall was taken by a group of students sitting on the bathroom floor, vaping for the entirety of lunch.
No actions were taken.
The action to close bathrooms is doing the exact opposite of what administrators aimed for it to do. Students who have no history with skipping class or vaping are indirectly suffering while the students who are meant to be targeted, are not facing as drastic consequences.
“Nothing has changed since the admin implemented the new rules,” senior Anthony Leung said.
Especially for students who have disabilities, the problem grows even more.
Forcing students to find open bathrooms makes the journey ten times worse for those who rely on elevators for transportation around the school.
Junior Kayla Ricks-Navarro broke her ankle in January and is dependent upon her padded scooter to get from one class to another. It is not possible for her to travel by stairs, so she relies on the elevator to help maneuver between classes.
“This whole issue with the locked bathrooms is ridiculous and it takes me 20 times longer to actually be able to physically get to one that hasn’t been locked already. I can’t take the stairs right now and neither can other students in similar situations,” Ricks-Navarro said.
Students experiencing menstrual cycles are vulnerable to emergencies and quick access to sanitary items that are provided in a majority of the bathrooms at RM. With limited access to nearby bathrooms, students dealing with periods do not have full access to pads, tampons and a safe space to regulate their flows.
“This whole bathroom situation is crazy. Students have to feel comfortable at school, and right now they aren’t,” Le said.
Before setting new regulations that impact the lives of students, administrators must take in account the numerous groups of students that are significantly affected by every decision put forth by them.
With decreasing levels of trust with the leaders of RM, it is certain that the bathroom policy will spark a major call for change.
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