The bathroom situation is actively changing.  With security being added, bathrooms are closing. There are reasons for the decrease in open bathrooms. Rules must be enforced but is B.C.C.H.S (Birmingham Community Charter High School) taking it too far?

Many students would disagree with this statement. The new security measures are in place to stop rules from being broken. B.C.C.H.S has not crossed a privacy line. Instead of going to the extreme and implementing cameras, they went the route of having security at the entrance. B.C.C.H.S should have the right to post security at local hot spots, whether that’s bathroom entrances, camera blind spots, or the outskirts of the campus.

Now what is the reason for the security at the bathrooms? There has been an increase in students vaping and loitering in the bathrooms. Senior student at B.C.C.H.S, Juan-Pablo Mira states “There are a lot of sketchy things that go on inside, so having security is helpful.” It is difficult to use the bathroom when it’s jam-packed and smells funny. The security guards are not only there to enforce the rules but also to control the flow of people going in and out of the bathroom and monitor who is staying there too long.

The only issue this brings is how often the bathrooms are closed. It’s a serious issue when a student urgently needs to use the restroom just to spend 10 minutes attempting to find one that’s open. Whether they need more staff for their increase in security or need to lighten the reason for closing a bathroom, students need at least two to three bathrooms open at all times. The lines can get long when every student is forced to use one bathroom.

Should B.C.C.H.S continue to use the same level of security, even after they get the results they are looking for? If it is proven to help the bathroom circumstance, they should continue to use the security staff for the bathroom. They should first experiment with lighter tests before trying to go even further. Excesses can result in negative results in other areas, like the view of students, or a lack of security in other locations.