Bathroom Access Limited

Perlynn Calep, reporter

Using the bathroom during class, recess and lunch can be hard because the bathrooms are often locked or packed with kids in a long line.

Most people dislike waiting in the line, because you either have to use the restroom or you have to wait for the other person that doesn’t need to use the bathroom to get out.

Sophomore Ashanti Boney said she has to wait in line every time she uses the bathroom. “Most of the time I just leave the line if it’s long,” Boney said.

Then there is another problem. The bathroom limit is three people because of COVID-19 regulations. Students have to stay six feet apart from others, but the rules aren’t followed. Other times, bathrooms are being misused; there would be paper towels on the ground or graffiti on the wall. Students have been found vaping, hanging out, and eating lunch in the bathrooms. This causes the bathrooms to be closed during recess.

“Usually we have to sign up or ask for the teacher for the pass for the bathroom,” sophomore Clarice Domingo said. The pass also shows which building you’re from so the staff or security know you’re using the bathroom in that building.

“We made special bathroom passes that every class should have. It has the class number and the color is different so we know what building you came from,” Principal Ron Okamura said. The pass also ensures that only one student per class is using the bathroom at a time, which is also a big problem.

“This never happened before,” Okamura said. “This is the first year it’s been so bad.”

This page was designed by Althea Cunningham and placed third in the 2022 Hawaii High School Journalism Awards for Layout/Design. (By Althea Cunningham)