This semester new guidelines for the bathroom will be in place to ensure that students do not vape or engage in other banned activities while claiming to be using the restroom. When interviewed Laura Pasqua, a local proctor at our school said, “[They’ve] been doing that for little over a month now, [they] started it then because it was out of control.” 

According to Ms. Pasqua, feedback from the new implementation has been positive for those looking to use the bathroom… to use the bathroom. She remarks how, “A lot of students, girls, come up to [her] and go, ‘thank you for being here. We can actually come in and use the bathrooms without having to choke on everything that is in here.” 

One problem the Proctor notes, however, was how they were supposed to implement these new rules during lunch. She says, “[They’re] gonna try to keep it as is, but at lunchtime [they] don’t know what to do because they have different spots to be at during lunch, so they are just doing their best.” 

Another issue is that during their first break they only have one male proctor, Keith, to control the bathrooms on the men’s side. She talks about how “On [their] first break they don’t have two men there. They only have one guy and that’s [Mr.] Keith, and then at ten o’clock the other guy comes on. Then [they] can monitor the bathrooms a little better.” 

When asked if they expect this to be for the rest of the school year, Ms. Pasqua commented that “[They] hope they can because they do a really good job during the breaks, but during lunchtime, there is no one to man the restrooms at this point, but [they’re] trying.” 

The current policy is that in order for students to face any punishment they need to see them vaping. Even if the students are in the same stall and they suspect that they are vaping, they can’t really do anything about it. The students could say they weren’t doing anything and then get rid of the evidence, making it harder for them to face any disciplinary action. 

Yet, they have caught people doing it. Ms. Pasqua says, “Right away, everyone picks up their backpacks in the little group and they go to the office. They get searched while they are in there and if they find anything on them, they get disciplined.” Usually, they don’t get caught, however, because again they go into the stalls. 

When asked about the best time to go to the bathroom she noted, “Breaks would be the best time.” This includes checking that a campus supervisor is in the bathrooms to increase the likelihood that students will be able to use the bathroom without having to worry about things such as vaping. 

When looking at a student perspective Reyna Palfreyman (12) commented on how “She was happy that they were there. She spoke on how “[She] can actually use the bathroom.” Noting that with the proctors there she doesn’t have to worry as much about the problems that arise from younger classmen vaping.