Students have the right to have access to bathrooms during school hours. Providing students with access to bathrooms is essential to their health and wellbeing. When students are not able to access bathrooms as needed, they may suffer from dehydration or other health issues. Throughout this year at FHS, there has been a big issue with the school bathrooms. They are constantly closed down by administrators, causing students to have to walk far to get to the bathrooms or wait until another time. This is wasting class time and making it inconvenient for students. Schools have a responsibility to ensure that students have safe and accessible bathroom facilities and to ensure that students are not prevented from using them as needed.

According to Principal Kraig Kelican, bathrooms are closed “for a variety of reasons. One, the sensors in the sinks sometimes don’t work so the kids can’t wash their hands. Second, there are some cases of vandalism, and it changes from day to day, where kids will do things like taking the whole soap dispenser or shoving things down a urinal.” As a result, the school has been forced to take action to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone on campus, including the closure of certain bathroom facilities. Kelican said, “It’s happening everywhere. Other schools are having teachers stand in the bathrooms all day, but I don’t think that’s practical. We do our best to keep them open, but we also need to keep them sanitary.”

Leaving the bathrooms open while assigning teachers to monitor the restrooms during high-traffic moments is a possible solution to this issue. This approach can help maintain order and prevent any unwanted behavior in the restrooms. It is crucial to carefully select the teachers who will take on this role to ensure they handle any issues that arise with sensitivity and respect.

Another solution could be to limit the number of students who can use the restroom from each floor. This approach may help prevent overcrowding in the restrooms and reduce the likelihood of any unwanted behavior. It is important to carefully consider the potential consequences of implementing this solution and have a plan in place to accommodate students with specific needs.

The decision to leave the restrooms open or implement restrictions should be based on a thorough assessment of the potential risks and benefits of each approach, taking into account the needs and safety of all students. Closing the bathrooms down has proven to be unsuccessful and we should reopen them with more security. The closure of the restrooms is not ideal and can lead to a waste of class time as students have to travel further to find a restroom that is open. It is vital that FHS provides students with restrooms within a reasonable distance to classes to avoid wasting class time.