When you need to go, you need to go. The primary focus of class time should always be for learning, but teachers must present students with a reasonable bathroom policy in which students absorb as much of the lesson as possible, while still being able to use the can.
In mid-October, Evergreen Park High School Principal Bill Sanderson announced the reinforcement of a bathroom policy in which students would only be able to go to the bathroom three times per period during the semester. Under the policy, any extra trips to the lavatory would result in time after school to make up for what was missed in class.
Limiting bathroom trips for students is unfair and unreasonable. Teachers should be able to deal with student behavior and bathroom breaks as they see fit without any restrictions from administration.
“I know the policy isn’t mandatory,” Kelsey Mlot, Evergreen High School student, said. “I think there should be a limit, but three times for the semester in a single period is not enough.”
Luckily, Lake Zurich has not had an overwhelming problem regarding bathroom policies or discipline.
Michaela Towne, Spanish teacher, has a set bathroom policy for her students.
“I’m not going to tell kids they can’t go to the bathroom,” Towne said. “If they have to go, I take their cell phones so they don’t text, but I understand some kids have to go during a certain period.”
With Lake Zurich’s nine periods per day, Evergreen Park’s policy would not that harsh a solution to the problem of kids going to the bathroom to waste class time. In Evergreen Park’s situation, however, the school only has four periods per day, according to Mlot, and each class lasts 84 minutes long.
“My school is divided up into departments,” Mlot said. “There’s no way I can get from the History to the Art department on time and still fit a bathroom break in that 5 minute window.”
Fortunately, Mlot says most teachers will most likely ignore the policy, as teachers are able to apply the rule at their own discretion.
Class time is valuable, and should absolutely not be wasted for careless or trivial reasons. However, the majority of students are not looking to use the bathroom as means for missing the lesson (which would lead to falling behind), and most have a specific time when they have to do their business.
“I always have to go the period before lunch, and I know a lot of my friends feel the same way,” Mlot said.
Some might even have medical reasons for needing to use the bathroom. For example, Evergreen Park freshman Dominique Diamond had a urinary tract infection and had to use the bathroom frequently, as reported in the Chicago Sun-Times.
High schools should never consent to a wide spread policy. Instead, they should keep the management of students and their business up to the particular teacher looking after them.
Teachers know the character and intention of their students. They should be able to determine the policies regarding the bathroom themselves. After all, no one should be punished for having to pee.