When students returned after finals week to Liberty High School, they were met with a new bathroom policy that sparked numerous debates around bathroom use at Liberty. Now, students can see that bathroom doors are left propped open, and a new “15 minute rule” is enforced when they leave class to use the bathroom.

Some students have not responded well to the changes as students intentionally close doors and tear signs off the doors. Administrative staff have voiced their concern that these policies have caused new behaviors in students.

“Signs being ripped off and door props being removed is the response from students to the policy,” Principal Brownson said. “We try to reopen and prop doors back open. It tends to be a certain set of doors where they’re more commonly getting closed.”

The new policy comes as a result of a recent spike in vandalism and students skipping class in the bathrooms.

“Anecdotally, I feel like it’s been a really good change,” Brownson said. “The bathrooms were vandalized 18 times prior to these policies, and now they’ve been cleaner. Closing the PAC bathroom has shown positive results because we were getting a number of vape hits there.”

However, not all students seem to agree.  There have been privacy concerns from students regarding the bathroom doors being propped open. 

“I find the open door policy a bit weird,” junior Isaac Tran said. “After the policies were implemented, I’ve been going to the bathroom less and having the bathroom doors open all the time is concerning because I get less privacy.”

Principal Brownson assured the student body that the privacy concern was taken into consideration when creating the policies.

“Privacy was certainly a concern when we began. I think the only thing that may be visible for both males and females is our feet below an enclosed stall,” Brownson said. “A student could always come talk to their administrator or counselor and find a space that would work for them. We’re willing to accommodate that if we need to.”

When hearing student concerns, the admin wanted to assure Liberty students that the policies are an attempt to curb bad behavior, and should not be seen as a punishment. 

“The intent of the policies is not to never allow a student to leave class when they have an emergency or a basic need. The intention of it is to interrupt the folks who are taking advantage of using the bathroom,” Brownson said. “We need to recognize the importance of utilizing the restroom during a break and also acknowledge that the first part of class is really important.” 

Overall, administrative staff have seen positive change in behavior at Liberty after the implementation of the bathroom policies.

Admins are happy with the closure as it has brought a sense of safety to the school; however, students have different perspectives.

“I go to the bathroom less during 7th period orchestra now that the PAC bathroom is closed,” junior Bruce Li said. “It takes too long to walk all the way to the library to go to the bathroom.”

Students like sophomore Ryder Pollutro hope there will be adjustments made to the policies.

“I think the majority of students who use the bathroom actually use the bathroom,” Pollutro said.  “Enforcing new policies for the percentage of kids who take advantage of the restroom brings down the majority that were already following rules. I hope there are adjustments made to the policies in future as behaviors begin to change.”

Principal Brownson hopes these policies are short term, but doesn’t plan to stop them any time this semester. 

“I would like to get some student and staff input,” Brownson said. “I don’t see a reason to change course this semester unless a really compelling reason is brought forward. We would have to question if the inconvenience outweighs the benefits in terms of student safety and building cleanliness.”