In the short time that the brand new high school building has been in use, there have been several issues; some students abuse their privilege to use the bathroom and ruin it for the large majority of their peers.
One major issue that has recently come up is the public display of affection in the school’s student restrooms. Specifically, in the women’s restroom, many female students have reported that often when walking into the bathroom, they find same-sex couples publically displaying affection in the middle of the restroom. Not only is this inappropriate for a school environment, it’s unsanitary.
The purpose of the restroom is to allow students to do their business and leave, and when individuals violate the privacy of others, they remove the basic right to use the restroom in private for the majority of students.
Another issue with students’ etiquette in the restroom is groups of students gathering to hang out together in the bathrooms. During passing periods they make it difficult for other students to use the restroom and get to class on time.
Additionally, the reason for their gathering can often be attributed to vaping. Many times the air will be thick with the smell of vape juice after a passing period. While students can’t be told what to do when they aren’t at school, it is irritating to walk into the restroom and smell it, as vaping is illegal for individuals under the age of 21. Senior Zack Maske said, “It’s super annoying to have to deal with the huge group of people when I just want to go to the bathroom.”
Very recently, some female students had an incident that made them question the restroom policy. They were concerned for their privacy. There are gender-neutral restrooms that are available for anyone to use, however, students who may be questioning their sexuality are not required to use any specific restroom, regardless of birth sex or current gender identity.
According to principal Jessica Grable, the EHS administration cannot limit access to any restrooms for any student, by law. Essentially, students are allowed to use any restroom that they feel comfortable using. Special cases where students may have to go across the school to use another restroom only require that teachers be notified by students. In regards to her own privacy, Remi Baessler (24) said, “We shouldn’t have to remove ourselves from the women’s locker room to have privacy.”
At the end of the day, the restrooms are meant for one thing. That is going to the bathroom and leaving, and students shouldn’t loiter in the restrooms long enough to cause any problems in the first place.
