Bathroom Bylaws

Nic Gulizia, Editor

Imagine you are sitting down in 6th period history and you really need to use the restroom. The bathroom pass, however, isn’t available.

That one student who went to the restroom 25 minutes ago hasn’t returned yet, and you start to wonder if they’re even using the pass for the restroom or if they are wandering somewhere else.

In prior school years, our campus has had issues with students going to the restroom with the pass and returning as soon as they are done. Often times, they are walking around the school, meeting friends, or doing practically anything but using the restroom.

The admin have noticed the issue as well and decided to implement a new policy to combat the behavior.

The line of kids leaving class to go to the bathroom is inevitable. Usually, when one gets back, the next one goes.

The issue isn’t with the amount of kids using the restroom, though. It’s the amount of time that they’re not in class listening to the lesson or doing their work that they’re spending walking around school instead.

With the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, each student who uses the restroom during class must set an 8 minute timer to ensure that the only thing they are doing with the pass is using the restroom.

The new policy so far has been successful in keeping students from wandering the halls and forces them to return to class quickly so they can continue their work.

In addition, if another student needs to use the restroom at the same time, they won’t have to wait 15, 20, or even 25 minutes for the prior student to return. Instead, they may have to wait a maximum of 8 minutes, and most likely less than that.

Obviously, there must be consequences for the student who does not return from the bathroom in 8 minutes or less, or they wouldn’t feel as if they need to follow the rule.

Returning in more than 8 minutes can result in the teacher issuing lunch detention to the student. Nobody wants lunch detention, considering all you do is sit quietly in a classroom and eat your lunch, probably without socializing or using electronic devices, so this is a good choice for a consequence.

The idea of setting a time limit for restroom use during class is a great idea. It keeps students quickly coming in and out and doesn’t make other students, who need to go, wait far too long to use the restroom. The policy itself is great.

The time that students need to be back in, however, is slightly too short. 8 minutes is pushing it and honestly makes students rush too much. 10 minutes would be a perfect time to implement in the future, as it factors in any other issues that may make the bathroom break take longer, but also doesn’t give students any time to wander the halls.

That one minor change would make a good policy into a great one.