For years, the student body of Cresskill High has endured the abuse of the restrooms. This year, the ongoing mistreatment has only gotten worse, with the boys bathrooms being the main target. This issue affects the entire school community: students, faculty, and the overarching school environment. Today, the Editorial Board of the Communiqué aims to address this harmful behavior, and showcase how the current administrative response is affecting students.
This school year, the restrooms have reached the worst point they ever have. Students flock to the bathrooms every single passing period, presumably to vape, or use the phone they’re not supposed to have. The bathroom has become a breeding ground for behavior issues, and it has to end. Students must take their futures into their own hands, and realize that what they are doing is not just affecting them, but their peers as well. It’s extremely immature.
With stall doors being ripped off their hinges, students urinating on floors, and other cases of vandalization occurring, the only question is: why? Why do some students feel a need to vandalize the restroom? There is zero point in it, and is inherently egregious. Ruining the restroom, a vital facility that everyone uses, isn’t going to make anyone look up to you, if anything it’s the opposite. These abuses affect everyone, not just students. Custodians did not sign up to repeatedly clean the messes made by students in the restrooms every single day. It’s disrespectful. All of this only leads to the further decline of the school’s environment. Students don’t feel proud attending a school where they can’t even use the restroom without witnessing multiple offenses occurring. Most students aren’t responsible for this behavior, but get affected by the changes made by the administration anyways. Students who aren’t responsible for the abuse of the restrooms shouldn’t have to deal with the consequences, but a select few make this the reality for all.
A simple message to those who need it: stop abusing the restrooms. Nobody will congratulate you; all it does is tear our school down further. Which (if you need a reminder) includes you. I hope you start taking some accountability, and start acting moderately civilized, it doesn’t take much.
In response to these events, the administration has implemented new and stricter measures regarding restroom use. Contrary to their original response, keeping all but one student restroom closed, the school has now added an additional scanning-in system that tracks student usage, with teachers being able to monitor in real time. The current limit to the number of students in each bathroom is now enforced firmly, with the new system set in place to deter misuse by creating greater accountability amongst students. Whether this solution will be more effective than closing the bathrooms entirely remains to be seen, but for now, students have to navigate this heavily monitored environment, all because of the actions of a few.
To conclude, it is crucial to mention that the administration isn’t wrong to act on these issues, even if the actions taken have gotten some harsh feedback. What remains uncertain, however, is whether these new measures will truly solve the problem. Only time will reveal whether the new scan-in system and heightened monitoring are effective, or if they’ll simply create new frustrations.
The hope for this article is to serve as a call to action: for students to recognize the impact of their ignorant behavior, and take responsibility for the facilities we all use everyday. The rest of us are tired.
