MS and HS Bathrooms - Normalizing Dangerous Areas at School

[Anonymous]

Water sprinklers if smoke or vaping is detected

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Water sprinklers if smoke or vaping is detected

There are a lot of school systems that tried this sort of thing. It was throwing money away because the first thing that happened was kids smashed the alarm/detector.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re right, it sucks that kids feel unsafe using the bathrooms. Everyone should feel comfortable with that basic need. I teach high school and it breaks my heart when kids are scared to go.

But what do you suggest? Schools are trying all sorts of things, and none of it is making a dent (closing popular drug bathrooms so there are less to monitor, putting cameras in the hallway to review who goes in there for more than 5 minutes, ehallpass to monitor who is out of class when, limiting hall passes for prior offenders)

I think the only things that would work would be literally stationing an adult inside the bathroom as a monitor. A) that’s cost prohibitive, b) no one is going to sign up to sit in a hs bathroom for 8 hours a day, and c) I think you’d get a lot of pushback about adults in restrooms with kids.

Alternatively, we could put airport security scanners in every school and scan every bag, instrument case, sports equipment, jacket, shoes. It would take 2 hours for kids to get in and they’d miss 75% of contraband) because vape devices literally look like flash drives or pens), but it might discourage some.

Do you have other ideas? I’m serious, I’m happy to bring them to admin. We brainstorm around this a lot and haven’t had any grand ideas.

What about having two additional security guards, whose only job is to randomly check bathrooms. A male and a female. They randomly check the bathrooms throughout the day. If caught, make the punishment severe. Have them wear some kind of audio recording as a check on guards themselves.

That is exactly what security guards do during class periods. The problem is schools’ hands are tied on punishments, there are set consequences from the county (state? I don’t know).

I also wonder what you want to have happen to kids who vape on campus? Right now it’s suspension, and after x days of suspension it’s sent to the hearings office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Single stall bathrooms that open into the hall with security cameras that monitor who goes in and out, plus actual consequences.

That’s a good idea. Could at least pilot this in one school that is notorious for drug and violence issues. See if it helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bathrooms were an issue when I was in school. Kids smoked, there were drugs, and they were gross. I am not certain how you fix the issue, short of hiring monitors who stand outside the bathrooms, which would be expensive given the number of bathrooms. You are looking at how many full time jobs to monitor bathrooms.

Most on dcum probably too young, but high schools in 80s had smoking courts to keep smoke out of bathrooms. Too bad vaping turned out to be bad or could have vaping courts now.

[Anonymous]

Why hasn't anyone mentioned that we should have no doors - but instead a wall, akin to the airport bathrooms?

The sinks could be on one side of the interior wall, and the stalls can be on the other.

Limit to three of each. They are too gross/ dangerous anyway, no one uses them unless there is a dire emergency to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re right, it sucks that kids feel unsafe using the bathrooms. Everyone should feel comfortable with that basic need. I teach high school and it breaks my heart when kids are scared to go.

But what do you suggest? Schools are trying all sorts of things, and none of it is making a dent (closing popular drug bathrooms so there are less to monitor, putting cameras in the hallway to review who goes in there for more than 5 minutes, ehallpass to monitor who is out of class when, limiting hall passes for prior offenders)

I think the only things that would work would be literally stationing an adult inside the bathroom as a monitor. A) that’s cost prohibitive, b) no one is going to sign up to sit in a hs bathroom for 8 hours a day, and c) I think you’d get a lot of pushback about adults in restrooms with kids.

Alternatively, we could put airport security scanners in every school and scan every bag, instrument case, sports equipment, jacket, shoes. It would take 2 hours for kids to get in and they’d miss 75% of contraband) because vape devices literally look like flash drives or pens), but it might discourage some.

Do you have other ideas? I’m serious, I’m happy to bring them to admin. We brainstorm around this a lot and haven’t had any grand ideas.

What about having two additional security guards, whose only job is to randomly check bathrooms. A male and a female. They randomly check the bathrooms throughout the day. If caught, make the punishment severe. Have them wear some kind of audio recording as a check on guards themselves.

So…2 people at $40,000 a year at 100 MS and HS schools. That would cost 8 Million dollars a year.

NP. If we got rid of all the useless DEI staff, there would be plenty of money to make this happen.

[Anonymous]

Bathrooms in the classrooms (no this isn’t really possible except in Renos or new builds) BUT it would solve the problem.

[Anonymous]

You’d need some combination of single stall bathrooms only, with kids using their ID cards to badge in, with cameras stationed immediately outside to catch kids who aren’t swiping in, and swift punishment for offenders. Detention > in school suspension > out of school suspension and loss of extracurriculars > expulsion to an alternative school. And the “step” a kid was at would only reset after at least 6 months had passed. That would stop the serious safety violations, like the fights and sexual assaults. But wouldn’t stop the vaping and drug use if a kid was doing it on their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You’d need some combination of single stall bathrooms only, with kids using their ID cards to badge in, with cameras stationed immediately outside to catch kids who aren’t swiping in, and swift punishment for offenders. Detention > in school suspension > out of school suspension and loss of extracurriculars > expulsion to an alternative school. And the “step” a kid was at would only reset after at least 6 months had passed. That would stop the serious safety violations, like the fights and sexual assaults. But wouldn’t stop the vaping and drug use if a kid was doing it on their own.

This works for me. IDGAF if somebody else’s kid is vaping or doing drugs. They can obviously do it outside of school.

[Anonymous]

We need to start making all classrooms like pre-k and k classrooms. At least in my area, pre-k and k classrooms have their own bathroom inside the classroom.

Less learning disruption and much safer.

Larger bathrooms, like near the cafeteria, should be locked unless it is lunchtime and then when unlocked, there's a bathroom attendant inside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re right, it sucks that kids feel unsafe using the bathrooms. Everyone should feel comfortable with that basic need. I teach high school and it breaks my heart when kids are scared to go.

But what do you suggest? Schools are trying all sorts of things, and none of it is making a dent (closing popular drug bathrooms so there are less to monitor, putting cameras in the hallway to review who goes in there for more than 5 minutes, ehallpass to monitor who is out of class when, limiting hall passes for prior offenders)

I think the only things that would work would be literally stationing an adult inside the bathroom as a monitor. A) that’s cost prohibitive, b) no one is going to sign up to sit in a hs bathroom for 8 hours a day, and c) I think you’d get a lot of pushback about adults in restrooms with kids.

Alternatively, we could put airport security scanners in every school and scan every bag, instrument case, sports equipment, jacket, shoes. It would take 2 hours for kids to get in and they’d miss 75% of contraband) because vape devices literally look like flash drives or pens), but it might discourage some.

Do you have other ideas? I’m serious, I’m happy to bring them to admin. We brainstorm around this a lot and haven’t had any grand ideas.

What about having two additional security guards, whose only job is to randomly check bathrooms. A male and a female. They randomly check the bathrooms throughout the day. If caught, make the punishment severe. Have them wear some kind of audio recording as a check on guards themselves.

So…2 people at $40,000 a year at 100 MS and HS schools. That would cost 8 Million dollars a year.

Should have no problem finding that in a $3.8B budget.

[Anonymous]

Are all middle schools in FCPS like this? I have a child starting MS at Carson next year. How worried should I be and about what, specifically?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Port a potties outside.

I'm pp who posted this. Cheap and effective

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You’d need some combination of single stall bathrooms only, with kids using their ID cards to badge in, with cameras stationed immediately outside to catch kids who aren’t swiping in, and swift punishment for offenders. Detention > in school suspension > out of school suspension and loss of extracurriculars > expulsion to an alternative school. And the “step” a kid was at would only reset after at least 6 months had passed. That would stop the serious safety violations, like the fights and sexual assaults. But wouldn’t stop the vaping and drug use if a kid was doing it on their own.

Ha, ha. Tell me you don't work in education, without telling me you don't work in public education. There are very, very limited consequences for anything in public schools anymore. Detention? Out of school suspensions? Expulsion to an alternative school? No, no and no, those wouldn't be equitable and the numbers might not look good to the district office. Not happening.