Have you ever needed to use the bathroom, but the teacher says, “Sorry, but you don’t have any passes left, you’ll have to wait until after class”? It’s frustrating, but is it unreasonable for teachers to impose this rule? Or do bathroom passes serve a practical purpose?
Why do teachers use bathroom passes? Teachers track bathroom use for multiple reasons, such as ensuring student safety and preventing misuse. When a student leaves class, the teacher can keep track of where they went, when, and how long they were gone. This helps prevent problems like fighting, bullying, or vaping in the bathrooms. By limiting bathroom access, teachers also ensure that students aren’t misusing class time and wandering the halls, which can affect their ability to focus on learning.Having these passes now may seem like a waste of time and a stupid idea, but these passes are actually helping us for when we are no longer in school and are working full time jobs. These passes help us learn proper time management and they show us how things will be while you are working a full-time job. The passes are a very good demonstration that if you are gone for too long while you are working with your boss your boss might not be as lenient as your teachers are.
Mr. Karn echoes these statements, believing that bathroom passes are fair and necessary, primarily to prevent issues like vaping, smoking, and fighting. He argues that they also teach students how to manage their time, preparing them for the expectations of adulthood. While students may get frustrated, he stresses that misusing bathroom breaks can lead to lost privileges.
Mrs. Gambetta, on the other hand, said that she feels the bathroom passes work only for a short amount of time, but then, when students lose their hall passes, it becomes hard to use and rely on them. She also said that there are students who do need to use the bathroom more frequently, and passes can be difficult for those students. Gambetta said that she likes to be able to trust her students. If students abuse her trust, then she does revert to passes.
Now, these teachers have their opinions and feelings, but another thing our teachers should know is that yes, there are many issues going on with the bathrooms, and these passes do help, but students still should be able to use the restroom and not be completely restricted from that. Students should be able to use the bathroom when they need it even when the run out of passes. If someone needs a menstrual product, they shouldn’t be restricted getting it.
The teachers have said their opinions, but how do the students of Harrison feel about them? Sophomore Lailah Terlau said she thinks these passes are unreasonable because if you actually have to use the bathroom or take care of feminine issues and the teacher doesn’t let you go, you have to wait and it can cause problems. She also said that if you use the bathroom during passing periods then you have the risk of being late to a class and mentioned her distaste for the 10:10 rule (the school wide rule that students can’t leave the class in the first and last ten minutes of a bell) . She feels that we shouldn’t have the rule unless students abuse them. If students are abusing them then it shouldn’t be a whole class punishment, but just a singular punishment on the student abusing the restroom.
Sophomore Victoria Berning, another Harrison student, agrees that bathroom passes are unnecessary but acknowledges that they help teachers know which students are out of class. She finds them frustrating because students have to carry the pass with them and it’s easy to lose it.
Sophomore Gwen Dryer believes the idea of bathroom passes is good for keeping students in class, but not allowing students to go when they need to after using all their passes is unreasonable. She understands why teachers use them, but she’s been denied the bathroom when dealing with feminine issues or panic attacks. Gwen believes that some students, like her, don’t always use bathroom passes to go to the restroom but to take a break when they’re feeling overwhelmed. She suggests that teachers add “break passes,” which would allow students to step out for 10-15 minutes to relax in the counselor’s office and return to class less stressed.
Despite some student’s opinions on this debate, teachers don’t use bathroom passes with mean or cruel intent. They use them to keep us safe and make sure we are doing what we are supposed to be doing. Students tend to do negative things while in the restroom, for example, skipping or fighting, so if a teacher knows you went to the bathroom, they can keep others safe and they can help prevent these negative actions from continuing. Teachers can use passes and students can still use the bathroom when they need to as long as students and teachers can trust one another.
In conclusion, teachers use bathroom passes to help keep students safe and to make sure they are not doing negative things, and if students do the right thing and stop doing negative things in the bathrooms then we can start using the bathroom without depending on the use of bathroom passes.
