As all Aliso Niguel Students are aware, the bathrooms at ANHS have caused many issues over the past few years. Recently, new rules in regards to the restroom have been enforced by the administration.

  The womens’ and mens’ bathroom, during passing periods, have supervision such as a proctor or even sometimes an admin member. Admin members that often patrol the bathroom include Mrs. Puccinelli, Assistant Principal, and Principal Hatcher. The supervisor stands outside the entrance door of the bathroom, and controls the “traffic flow” of the bathroom. 

Students are expected to wait outside the bathroom door when forming a line, and to quickly “do their business” since there is a line of students often waiting outside. Additionally, the supervisor managing the bathroom lines must be the same gender as the bathroom they are watching, in case there is an emergency and they must enter. 

The administration began this new bathroom system, or policy, to help stop the constant usage of illegal substances namely alcohol, vapes, and marijuana in the bathrooms.

  Some of the new bathroom rules include the 900 and STEM building bathrooms being locked during zero period and all the breaks, however the rest of them are open. Furthermore, the rule of not allowing students to leave class to use the restroom 15 minutes after the period begins and ends is also being reinforced. 

According to supervisor Laura Pasqua this is due to the lack of supervisors but “we [ANHS Staff] do the best that we can with what we have, and it’s working.”

  Laura Pasqua stated that the main reason for the new rules is that, “everybody that goes in there to vape or smoke or whatever they do in there, and the kids that really need to use the restroom–they can’t. If they do, they are inhaling all that stuff…it’s not fair. It’s horrible. I don’t even like to walk in there. But where we are at, we have kids that need to use the restroom, and that’s why we are there. I’ve had so many girls tell me ‘Thank you, thank you’ because they can’t get in there. Or they have to wait till they get to class, and then they have to miss some class because they couldn’t do it over the break.” 

  Laura Pasqua shared her personal experience with witnessing students using illegal substances and stated that “Ever since the pandemic, students have started doing more vapes, or whatever they have at school because they got addicted. It’s a big, crazy issue. Which is why we have this new rule. It’s really a bummer that it has to happen.” 

  In regards to the drug paraphernalia, student Marly Wahba (12) says, “The drug usage in the bathroom is really bad. When students have their entire friend group in the bathroom smoking and crowding the bathroom, that’s when it becomes a problem. That’s why I’m fine with the supervisors watching the bathroom, but honestly I usually don’t see them.” 

  Senior Saghar Naderi stated, “I really appreciate the supervisors. It really makes just going to the bathroom easier.”