Over the course of the last four years, the restrooms in the building have constantly been one of many problems talked about among students. From the state the restrooms are left in, to the bathrooms being shut down.
Many students and staff members have been annoyed to have to witness yet another bathroom being closed off due to “untold” reasons. In addition, when the bathrooms are open, there is sometimes a lack of consideration and presence to unlock the door.
Many students have complained about the constant inconsideration of not only Pace staff members, but also M.S.131 staff members who have refused to allow students to use the downstairs and south cafeteria restrooms. This has caused an influx in student and staff problems around the building. Many have started to label such staff members as the Bathroom Police as they start to nag students who want to use the facilities.
Mr. Suriel, whose classroom is directly across from the fourth floor bathroom, said, “I think that the idea of them being shut down is more so a nuisance to the kids, getting backlash or even some attitude from kids that are like, ‘Oh, my God, like, why do I have to go somewhere else?’” Teachers like Mr. Suriel, who have to deal with student’s constantly asking for the bathroom, understand that the bathrooms should just be available.
Some student’s end up realizing that other floors may also be “out of order” due to previous experiences. Mr. Suriel also mentioned that these issues are out of their control. He’s not sure if kids are breaking them or if they’re just breaking on their own, like the pipes being old. In any case, he finds it a bit frustrating when he receives the backlash.
The administration claims that the reason for the constant locking of bathrooms is to prevent having students hang out, smoke, skip class or even vandalize school property. If the bathrooms are locked then they’re will be less students wasting time in the bathroom, the reasoning goes.
Though not all students are doing these things, everyone has to face the consequences to prevent misconduct. Stories about the occasional smell of vape or weed coming from the bathroom makes it hard for bathrooms to be available without restrictions.
Ms. Carrillo, who has hall duty sixth period, expressed that she can sometimes smell the vape or weed coming from the bathrooms. She has to kick the students out and send them on their way. Delinquency among kids avoiding class impacts all the students in the building causing restrictions like the five minute rule and timed bathroom usage.
Teachers have been asked how they feel about allowing students to go to the bathroom throughout the day without the pass being present and the consensus was, according to Mr. Suriel, “We use our observations, our intellect and logic. If we see that this kid has been in the bathroom four times a day and every time they go in their friends start going in there as well then it’s like, all right, do you really need to use the bathroom?” Evidence like this makes teachers hesitant to allow students out of the classroom as it seems to be more about hanging out rather than actual usage of the restroom itself.
Staff members along with some students anticipate that there are students in the building who may be intentionally clogging, destroying or vandalizing the bathroom which can cause them to shut down and go out of service. For a short period of time the fourth floor girls bathroom was out of order due constant leaks coming from the toilets, but still many students have voiced that the toilets are clogged.
A majority of classes happen on the fourth and third floors. If both floors’ bathrooms are out of service at the same time a student now has to travel to either the first or second floor which takes up more time. Out of service bathrooms also cause problems among the students who actually have to use the bathrooms for emergencies as they may feel lied to or denied for a simple bathroom use.
Jazzlyn Villar, a senior, has said that the bathrooms by the cafeteria even in the morning are locked, making us, the students, hold their bladder. The doors always being locked at various points of the day outside of the 5-minute rule has become a hot topic among the Pace community. Students want to be heard and some teachers just say they are just following rules. Members are conflicting, but there’s always a new excuse.
As a result of the bathrooms being shut down or locked, students tend to wander off to other classrooms leaving the pass behind. Hall monitors such as Ms. Carrillo have suggested that there needs to be an improvement for bathroom passes because it becomes tiring trying to create passes when they go missing.
So, is the availability of the bathrooms really a problem in Pace? Or are students genuinely taking advantage and causing misconduct to enforce restrictions?
