Not Enough Bathroom Stalls

Poway High School is significantly lacking an adequate number of toilets for the students at the school. With so many bathrooms being out of commission due to plumbing issues, and almost all of the rest being closed due to students abusing them, it is very difficult to find somewhere to use the bathroom. 

When a school fails to meet an appropriate number of toilets or stalls available to students, it directly violates building codes created to protect their health. 

Often, standing in line takes up students’ break time, since they try to go outside of class time. Students have a legal right to access sanitary restroom facilities, but lines and overcrowding obstruct these rights. 

When students are unable to use the restroom, it leads to stress and discomfort throughout the school day. It is the schools responsibility to provide a comfortable space for students to learn in and they should find a solution to fix it. 

Teachers Limiting Students’ Bathroom Access

Students already have a hard enough time trying to go to the bathroom during their designated breaks, and when teachers limit bathroom access during class time, they may not find an appropriate time in the day to use the bathroom. Many teachers hope for students to use the bathroom during passing periods, break, or lunch. 

Especially with the poor availability of restrooms, it is unfair that teachers limit students’ bathroom access to only four times during class for the whole trimester – especially in situations where the student was trying to go during break, but couldn’t because there was no stall available, this rule is absurd and authoritarian. 

According to ADA Section 504, teachers and administrators are legally not allowed to deny students access to the restroom EVIDENCE?. Applying incentives, such as extra credit opportunities if students use the bathroom less during class is acceptable, but blocking or restricting access to bathrooms is unfair due to it being such a challenge to go outside of class time.

A Solution: Bathroom Monitor at Break

Although some of the lines and overcrowding are created by a lack of restroom facilities for the number of students at our school, another reason is the misconduct that happens in the bathroom during break and lunch. Many students abuse the bathroom, using it to vape, sit on their phones, or chat with their friends. 

Especially in the large E-building bathroom at break, much of the overcrowding is due to the students’ blatant disregard for others’ time and their lack of respect toward our school. A simple solution to this problem is to put a hall monitor inside the restroom or standing right outside at least during breaks to make sure there are no students congregating near the sinks, making others unable to successfully use the bathroom.   Work on an overall last line.