Kaiser High School students are facing a growing challenge when nature calls: access to restrooms. The situation is particularly acute in the A and C buildings, where boys’ bathrooms are frequently closed, forcing students to trek across campus to find relief.
The closures have become a common complaint, with students reporting a range of issues. “The bathrooms are covered with toilet paper and paper towels on the ground,” one student observed. Others have noted the unpleasant conditions, with one student saying, “It’s never open, and it smells like weed.”
The frequent closures have created a significant inconvenience for students, disrupting their classes and adding unnecessary stress to their school day. The long walks to open restrooms not only waste valuable class time but also raise concerns about student safety, particularly during passing periods when crowds of students are moving between classes. The reasons behind the closures remain unclear, leaving students and faculty frustrated and searching for solutions to this ongoing problem.
In general, the bathrooms at Kaiser High School have been a place for activities other than what they are intended for, skipping out on class being the most popular. 8/10 of the male students interviewed noticed the closing of the bathrooms and the poor state that the bathroom is left in.
The consensus among students about the boy’s bathroom situation is mixed. Many are upset about the closed bathrooms, calling it an inconvenience. “Yes, I’m distraught. I don’t like walking down to H building when I’m in A.”
Another student says “Because of a few people affecting the majority, the minority are doing naughty things, I’m just trying to get to class.” Many speculate that the result of the closing of bathrooms was caused by trouble-making students.
To truly understand this issue, I asked some of the security personnel for their thoughts. One security member offered a solution: “Porta Potties.” He did not want to comment on the reason for the bathrooms’ closing.
Another security member who was interviewed said “it’s mostly because of your fellow students.” He went on to say that sometimes the pipes are broken, graffiti on the walls, and clogged toilets are some of the reasons why the bathrooms are closed so frequently. “If they just treated the bathrooms like their own we wouldn’t have to close the bathrooms.”
Regarding solutions, students have some ideas “maybe students should pay a fine for vandalizing the bathroom.”
Another student said, “They should clean up the mess that they created.”
The impact of continued vandalism affects everyone to the students who have to be in such an environment to the janitors and staff that have to clean up the messes of inconsiderate troublemakers. This problem has continued since the beginning of the school year perhaps even further back. To show support please do your part and pick up some trash so the bathrooms stay open.
