Editorial: Common problems, common sense solution
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Hear that kids are being locked out of the school bathrooms, and it can bring up questions.
It’s an issue that is happening at Kiski Area High School.
Is this allowed? The number of bathrooms in a building are not just randomly assigned. They are prescribed by building codes and planning commissions.
Is this healthy? Bathrooms aren’t provided in schools for no reason. Students are required to go to school, and, depending on districts, the day might start with kids showing up before 8 a.m., and, with extracurricular activities, they could be around past dinner time. The bathroom will be necessary at some point.
Is this practical? The amount of time between classes is short, and cutting the number of bathrooms accessible to students will naturally lead to longer lines in the ones that are still open. It also could lead to students asking to be excused from class more frequently, interrupting the learning time.
But there are two other questions to ask. Is this necessary? And is this working?
The administration made the move to cut down on problems, with Principal Chad Roland saying “restrooms are prime spots for trouble.”
That’s definitely true. As the song “Smokin’ in the Boys Room” attests, it’s also nothing new. But Roland says today’s problems are things such as vaping and vandalism.
New Kensington-Arnold School District’s Valley High School had another kind of problem when a bullying incident in a bathroom prompted a police investigation. The very privacy of a bathroom can create opportunities for bad behavior.
Kiski Area has responded by locking them, but in a rotation that preserves the necessity while limiting the chances to cause trouble.
It seems to be a smart way of approaching a widespread problem. In 2021, a challenge on the social media app TikTok prompted vandalism in schools across the country.
“It has resulted in a drastic reduction of inappropriate behaviors in our restrooms across the building,” Roland said.
Common sense solutions are always good to hear. They’re even better to see succeed.