Students voice concerns over bathroom restrictions

By Kamya Rice

News Reporter

Students are worried about bathroom policies for the school year, concerning themselves about locked bathrooms, cleanliness, and the comfort in the facilities.

Jacob Powell tries to use the bathroom in the B Wing, but it is locked. Photo by Tyler Blackburn.

Safety rules and basic needs have been getting more attention. Locked restrooms, limited passes, and systems like SmartPass became common in many schools to lower the amount of skipping, misuse, and fights. While administrators may think these policies help keep rules in order, students say that stricter rules can sometimes make situations stressful.

Junior student Christina Hicks talked about how she sees restroom restrictions. She said that many students feel they are being punished for the actions of others who misuse bathrooms for skipping class, hurting others, or socializing. Junior student Ladell Aleman showed similar feelings and said schools should understand that not every student is a part of the problem.

“At times, the bathrooms are locked due to the others choices, and I don't feel it is fair for me to get the consequences for their actions,” Hicks said.

Students also think bathroom conditions should become better. Freshman Kayleana Lewis said that hygiene supplies are not always available when they are needed. 

“Updating the soap dispensers, sometimes they be running out, and I need to wash my hands,” Kayleana Lewis said.

Junior Ladell Aleman also talked about the maintenance of the restroom, citing that bathrooms are usually clean, but still need improvement. He mentioned problems like empty soap dispensers or badly managed restrooms.

“The restrooms are mostly always clean but need a little help with basic student necessities,” Aleman said.

Kayleana also explained that restroom access has changed for her. She said that the bathrooms being locked have made it harder for students to take care of personal needs during the day. Situations become even more difficult when bathrooms are unexpectedly not able to be used when too many students are already using passes at the same time.

“Before, I used to go regularly, but now, since the restrooms are locked, I rarely can go even in emergency situations,” Kayleana said.

The safety of students is one of the main reasons schools make stricter restroom policies. Administrators often point to fights and violence as reasons for limiting bathroom access and monitoring when students leave class. Even though Christina disagrees with some restrictions, she understands why schools have put certain policies in place. She said bathroom limits can help lower the amount of violence and other problems happening at school.

“I saw a lot of videos on the internet talking about how people got into school fights, and the location is mainly the bathrooms. I am glad our restrooms is not like this,” Christina said.

Christina also talked about the school's “10/10 rule,” which keeps students from leaving class during the first and last ten minutes of the period. She explained that students with emergencies may not get the time they need because of the restriction. Students say the rule can become difficult during shorter class periods, especially when multiple people have already used passes or when bathrooms are locked or not available. Christina believes the rule is too strict because emergencies can not always wait until the middle of class.

“I don't think you should take out a whole 20 minutes,” Christina said.

Kayleana said she still feels mostly safe in the school bathrooms as long as students are respectful towards one another. Student safety continues to be one of the biggest concerns with bathroom policies and restrictions.

“Yeah, I feel safe using the school bathrooms, just as long as no one puts their hands on me,” Kayleana said.

Christina said student behavior is one of the biggest reasons bathroom policies continue to become more strict. She explained that students who misuse bathroom privileges face consequences for everyone else, leading schools to make more rules and restrictions. Some students believe that if fewer students misuse the system, schools would not need as many strict policies.

“Many students abuse bathroom usage; they always go in there to have fun or talk to friends when that is very unfair to me and many others,” Christina said.

Aleman also shared mixed feelings about SmartPass and bathroom limits. He explained that he keeps from using the restroom too often because he does not want to run out of passes during the day. While he said SmartPass is “not too bad,” he also said the system can become too strict when students truly need to leave class, and there are already too many people out. Other students expressed similar concerns, saying they sometimes hesitate to ask to leave class because they worry about denied passes or unavailable bathrooms.

Students and staff are still searching for a middle ground everyone can agree on. Students should not struggle to meet basic needs during the school day, but schools also want to maintain safety and order. Whether it is better bathroom managers, more flexible time limits, or changes to restroom policies, students hope CMHS continues to work toward fair solutions that support and help both safety and student comfort.