Bathrooms Closed

Newtown High School made the decision to close several bathrooms on March 7th as an attempt to curb students from spending too much time in them. This decision was made due to students being disruptive, unhygienic, and making poor choices.

Out of 44 bathrooms across the school (including locker rooms, the nurse’s bathroom, and individual bathrooms), 8 are closed and 36 are open. This means that roughly 18% of all bathrooms are locked. 

NHS Principal Dr. Kimberly Longobucco, sent an email explaining the situation to parents and guardians on March 6th.

“In an attempt to curb the amount of students congregating in bathrooms, we will be closing several around the building beginning tomorrow, Thursday March 7th. We have been strategic about the ones that will be closed and have selected bathrooms that have other options within a reasonable distance for students. This will help us to better monitor the open bathrooms and reduce the places for students to congregate and make poor choices,” Longobucco wrote. 

            This closure has induced several comments and complaints from students and faculty alike. The question has arisen: is this the best option to reduce poor choices, or is it only causing more problems? Voices can be heard from both sides.

“Honestly, it’s pretty annoying. It’s especially bad in the math hall [the top floor of F wing] because you have to go downstairs to use the bathroom, and I'm losing class time because of it. And even in that bathroom, there are people hanging out in it. People still do it, closing the bathrooms does not solve anything,” NHS sophomore Hayden Valentin said.

Many students at NHS seem to find the new policy upsetting and even patronizing. NHS sophomore Isabella Da Silva agrees with Valentin and continues to point out possible flaws in the system.

“I think that they shouldn’t have closed the bathrooms because if they really thought that it was that bad, they would’ve had teachers monitoring them instead of closing them down. Because of this, we’re missing class time. Whenever I go to the bathroom during math, I miss a lot of class,” Da Silva said.

The reaction from teachers varies much more than from the students. Many teachers support the closures, but others point out how it could be unfair to the students who have been behaving.

“I actually think it’s a good idea because I think we have an issue here with vaping. So, if we can close bathrooms and make it a safer space for all students, then I think that’s a good idea. Also, people eating on bathroom floors during lunch and hanging around the bathrooms is not hygienic and not okay. I feel like you should be able to go to the bathroom and feel safe,” NHS social studies teacher Amy Deeb said. 

NHS physical education teacher Megan Goyda voices her sympathy for students while still noting how the new system could be beneficial.

“I think it’s a good first step, but I also feel bad for the kids who actually just need to use the bathroom,” Goyda said.

As of now, there are no announced plans to reopen any bathrooms. Principal Longobucco says she has discussed other options to reduce congregations in the bathrooms, including having faculty monitor them. But the overall consensus from her and many other members of the staff is that the result of closing bathrooms has been satisfactory in reducing poor choices amongst students.

“Closing the bathrooms has served the purpose of reducing the number of unsupervised places in the building. Reducing the number of bathrooms by 8 allows us to regularly check bathrooms and encourage students to use the bathrooms for their intended purpose,” Longobucco said.

As Newtown High School navigates the repercussions of its decision to close several bathrooms, the varied perspectives from students and faculty highlight the complexities of balancing safety, convenience, and discipline within the school environment.