Everyone benefits from clean bathrooms

School bathrooms should be very sanitary and clean to benefit everyone at the school. Every single day, students and teachers across the nation use bathrooms at their respective schools. However, many students and staff members in Edison Intermediate School (EIS) seem to desire cleaner and better bathrooms overall across the school. Unsanitary and dirty facilities can cause health issues, and many of these people believe that Edison Intermediate School does not have bathrooms of that caliber.  

EIS has four main restrooms for student use, and one main bathroom for teacher use. These facilities are scattered across the school, with four of the bathrooms being downstairs and the other one upstairs in the science wing. There are several hundred students and teachers that attend Edison Intermediate School daily as well. 

Firstly, EIS students have noticed for a long time that the quality of the lavatories has been steadily declining over time. “I would never go in the bathroom willingly and the bathrooms are due a renovation or improvement. The bathrooms have been awful since sixth grade,” EIS eighth-grade student Jacob Dickey stated. 

This shows that over the course of the past few years the caliber of the bathrooms has never been enhanced in the eyes of students. Additionally, even newer students are already sick of the poor restroom condition. “I think the EIS bathroom should be improved with way more privacy between urinals, and just way more space overall,” sixth grade student Casey Gilford declared.

Another factor that has been noticed around the school is the cleanliness of these bathrooms and how there is a lot to be desired. Many students and teachers believe that students themselves might be part of the reason why these facilities are so unclean. “No one ever cleans up after themselves, which means that the toilets get very dirty,” EIS eighth grade student Alyssa Catalano noted. 

Clean bathrooms are vital to the success of students in an educational setting. Poor facilities can cause several students to perceive their school as uncaring when it comes to their education because of the lackluster bathrooms. Dissatisfactory bathrooms in schools seems to be a national problem. “68% of students say school restrooms that are poorly maintained or unclean show the school doesn’t care about its students, reflects poor school management and lowers their overall opinion of the school. Nearly half of students describe the condition of their school restrooms as poor or fair,” (PR News). 

This clearly illustrates that the condition of school bathrooms directly correlates to the overall academic prowess in schools. Furthermore, not only the students desire new bathrooms. “The (women’s) faculty bathroom has two stalls for the 50 or more female teachers in the school. The bathroom is about 15 square feet and there is only one faulty sink,” EIS eighth Art teacher Mrs. Helen Frees stated.

Even the male faculty bathrooms are not up to standard according to other teachers. “The custodians do a great job cleaning up, but our bathroom is just small and outdated. The student’s bathrooms are ten times better, but I only use them after school,” EIS Chorus teacher Mr. Stephen Markowski announced. 

This exhibits the opinion held by most EIS students and faculty that almost all the bathrooms across the school should be refined. They believe that the quality of the facilities must be improved for the welfare of the students and faculty alike. Additionally, others are pushing for the addition of gender-neutral bathrooms in Edison Intermediate School. “I also believe that the school should introduce gender-neutral bathrooms at EIS. It would make many students feel comfortable to be who they are and would help the school immensely,” Mrs. Frees added. 

Hundreds of users can strain the resources of even the most diligent custodial crews in schools. On the other hand, restroom cleaning needs to be a routine task in schools; conditions can get out of hand quickly, and students and staff will be exposed to germs which can be very detrimental to health. Conversely, when a school washroom is kept clean and well-maintained, students are more likely to make an effort to keep it that way. “I think students need to do a better job keeping the bathrooms nicer for everyone, I think people should feel like there’s a really comfortable and private space for them when they’re using the bathrooms,” Dr. Bolton expressed.

It is also important to note that resources in the future will be allotted towards school bathrooms. “The other two bathrooms–the one upstairs by the science rooms and the ones downstairs by the cafeteria are being scheduled for renovation within the next five years. They’re in the five-year improvement plan,” EIS Principal Dr. Matthew Bolton expressed.

The plans for renovations in the future show that Dr. Bolton and others are listening to what the students and faculty want.