Editorial: Restroom vandalism

Vandals are flushing school funds straight down the toilet and inconveniencing the entire student body when they need to use the campus restrooms.

Vandalism is the frequent cause of students being locked out of restrooms while custodians spend countless hours picking up toilet paper, unclogging toilets and cleaning out sinks. If students want campus restrooms to stay open throughout the school day, they must treat them like they treat their bathrooms at home.

Instead, vandals have caused toilets and sinks to overflow. They damage stalls, smear feces onto walls and paint on graffiti. After each act of vandalism, the custodial and maintenance staff has to clean up the restroom, and in some cases, repaint walls and doors. As a result, the administration must use money out of its budget to pay for bathroom damages, money which could be used for programs that students want.

In a survey of 100 students, 97 percent said the restrooms should remain open during the school day. It is true that unlocked bathrooms on campus are a convenience, even a necessity, for students, but teachers and administrators simply cannot monitor all of the bathrooms all day.

Of course, not all students are guilty of vandalizing restrooms, but one student can ruin it for everyone else.  High school students are old enough to conduct themselves in a mature manner, and everyone needs to take pride in our newly renovated school.

The administration recently reopened some bathrooms that had been closed for months due to vandalism. They will keep these restrooms open if students take care of them. The administration is not to blame for restroom closures. It is the reprehensible behavior of vandals that is to be blamed.

If you see someone vandalizing a restroom on campus, report it. You may be the person to help ensure that all our bathrooms are open all of the time.

Permanent link to this article: https://blogs.henrico.k12.va.us/bluedevilsadvocate/2012/02/08/editorial-restroom-vandalism/

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