Why do Los Osos Grizzlies postpone their need to use the restroom?
It’s not safe to hold bodily waste for so long; students should be able to use the restrooms when they need to.
Some students feel self-conscious about using the restrooms.
We are humans; we can not always control the sounds that escape our bodies. We should not judge nor should we be disgusted or judgemental towards someone who can not help their body from making certain noises or releasing certain smells.
Los Osos High School should make students feel comfortable enough to use the restroom as they please. The bathrooms are the student’s to use, so they should be used accordingly.
When asked if students were comfortable with the restrooms, many stated they were not. A Los Osos student said, “The bathrooms are always crowded during passing periods, and people are always vaping in there.”
When investigating the school bathrooms, I discovered a lot of wasted toilet paper stuffed in the sinks. Clumps of paper towels were thrown on the ceilings, there were clogged toilets and strange graffiti. The garbage was not full, yet there was toilet paper everywhere. It was as one would call it “trash”. I observed the bathrooms during one of the seven-minute passing periods; it quickly became crowded in two minutes.
The vape clouds filled my nose and I could barely see my reflection in the mirrors. Usually, there is a line that forms when students are waiting for an available stall. However, that was not the case in this situation. While I was present, there were no girls patiently waiting. They shoved each other in a rush terminating the sense of order.
This brings another issue among students in general: the abuse of bathroom rights. If a student does not have an urgent need to use the restroom, they should wait.
Passing periods should be the time to use the restroom in an orderly fashion. If a student enters the restroom to waste time or to skip class, they are abusing their teachers’ trust in them.
Administrators have even resorted to using the 5 Star app to track the students location and how long they take outside of class.
The majority of students share an annoyance towards this app.
A student I interviewed shared her passionate feelings about other students abusing their time in the restrooms, “Some people smoke in the bathrooms. In my opinion, we need smoke detectors if possible. It is even worse when the smell is strong and it is crowded.”
Why do we, as students of Los Osos, have to accept our uncomfortable bathrooms, when we can all pitch in for a change?
In the time that we have now as students attending Los Osos High school, we should make a change and let our administrators or Principal Cypher know of these issues.
If students want to make positive changes and fair rules, we must use our voices and share our experiences.
The bathrooms should be a respected comfortable space for students at Los Osos.