Why do schools lock their student bathrooms? Schools lock their bathrooms primarily due to the fact that students are vandalizing and portraying inappropriate behavior. Unfortunately, there are only a small number of students that act on their bad decisions. The schools administration was noticing this, and responded by locking the restrooms. This way it can prevent students from damaging the restrooms and maintaining a safe and secure environment.
However, this only made matters worse affecting the other students. This limited their ability to access and use the bathrooms. According to the Acts of Sanitation, it is very important for students to have close accessibility to the school’s restrooms. For example, “A mother filed a lawsuit against the San Diego Unified School District, a teacher and a former principal for a school’s restrictive restroom policy, which denied students the right to use the restroom during class.” (Fox 5 San Diego, CA). These decisions created inconvenience for all students and faculty that needed to access these facilities during the school day. It is necessary to have close access to bathrooms, as expressed by Justin, a Hall High School Senior “It is annoying to have to walk around and look for an open bathroom, just to find one across the school.”
The decision to restrict access to bathrooms without surveillance may be in response to ensure the safety and security of students. “When it comes to bathroom breaks in schools, there are several federal laws that protect the rights of students. These laws ensure that students have access to restroom facilities and are not denied the opportunity to use the bathroom when needed.” (Save our Schools). By limiting access to bathrooms that aren’t being properly monitored, it allows school administrators to diminish the misconduct and maintain a safe environment under the school’s premises.
While the schools intentions behind locking their bathrooms was to stop unwanted behavior, it is important for them to consider creating a balance between implementing disciplinary conduct and guarantee that all students will have the right to bathroom access. In response to this issue, student Justin proposes his idea, “I’d open more bathrooms up but keep a close watch to them in order to catch people trying to vandalize or disrupt the restroom environment”. In this case schools should have alternative strategies, such as increased supervision or interventions for behavioral issues, to create a safer environment for all students.
In conclusion, locking student bathrooms is caused by the need to address vandalism and inappropriate behavior. However, it is crucial for schools to acknowledge the Acts of Sanitation while successfully managing disciplinary challenges. Schools should be more accommodating when locking their restrooms because it is necessary for students to always have access to the bathrooms no matter the situation. The key to maintaining a happier school environment is to make sure all students have full access to everything they need.
