Hello, my name is Emma Liria Gsottschneider. I am a senior at York High School and for my civic action project, it is my goal to open up all the bathrooms at the school. I strive to do what’s right not just for me, but for the majority, which is why I write to you all, in hopes that it can spark a change. As you might or might not be aware, bathroom availability at York High School has been insufficient. The closures have occurred as a result of people both misusing and vandalizing them, vaping, and using other substances as well as skipping classes. The administration has done what they think is best to solve this problem. However, this attempted solution has not fixed the problem but rather has resulted in many other problems. Taking away bathrooms does not eliminate the problem, it only moves it elsewhere. People who were misusing the bathrooms have now just continued to do so, only in the little bathrooms that are left, making it more of a problem for the rest of the students who do not engage in these activities, to use the bathrooms. Three distinct problems arise from this, one being health, another regarding student rights, and one in regards to time management.
To begin with, students cannot always access the bathrooms when they need to. This could be a result of feeling uncomfortable or because they are likely to be accused unfairly. This forces students to wait to go, affecting their health. Neglecting to address one’s physiological urges at the appropriate time can cause constipation, as well as urinary tract infections. In more serious cases, holding it in can lead to fecal impaction, which is when a stool that becomes hard, gets stuck in your rectum or colon. It can also make a hole in the gastrointestinal tract. This can cause the rectum to stretch. The bladder is estimated to be able to hold around 400 to 500 ml of urine, around half of the bladder, before it signals to your brain that you have to use the bathroom. Holding it in can eventually lead to your rectum growing which can then lead to incontinence. If you hold your needs in day after day, which it is possible that students do, it can lead to not only constipation and urinary tract infections but these other serious complications.
Second, the solution the school uses currently has unjustly punished all students rather than solely punishing the students who are committing these illicit acts. There should not be limitations on using public restrooms. This is a basic human right and necessity that should not be interfered with. This punishment is simply unjust, as we should not be punished as a result of certain people’s bad decisions. Shouldn’t schools be able to provide us with this basic right?
Finally, the time it takes to find open bathrooms is simply ridiculous. I have interviewed peers about this issue and many said it takes around 10 -15 minutes to go to the bathroom, a time that should be much shorter. Many also said they find it frustrating as they are accused of wandering and are told to go back to class when in reality, they are simply trying to find the bathrooms that are not full. This takes time away from class, resulting in missed instruction and class content. It is my understanding that the goal of my school day is to spend the maximum amount of time in instruction and learning and the least amount of time in transition and searching for a bathroom.
Please consider taking action to help students have full availability of bathrooms. Do you want your lack of involvement to be the reason that your child gets these severe issues?
