Do all high schools have teachers monitoring bathrooms and hallways during planning periods?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers don’t monitor bathrooms typically. That’s some else’s job.

This year it is teachers' jobs.

I don’t understand how teachers have time for that on top of all of their other duties.

When something needs to get done, just throw it on the teachers. Don’t worry. They’ll get their own work done at home, I guess.

Who else do you think should be responsible for monitoring the bathrooms then?

Our MS has placed monitors across all bathrooms and at hallway intersections. Staff assigned those locations take their laptops with them and still get work done (emails at least) and it has definitely cut down on behaviors and cutting classes. I frequently see my APs in the halls at a desk, monitoring students. And my principal is out in the school as well when they have time.

If you want a "safe" school, everyone needs to pitch in to make that happen.

[Anonymous]

I’m the first poster and revising my post slightly. I am supposed to sit in a hallway and work during a dedicated time once per week so I guess I technically do have a hall duty.

This almost never happens since it conflicts with mandatory dept meetings or IEP/504 meetings since I teach the team taught classes.

I use the student bathroom daily so technically I monitor that too. We don’t have a staff bathroom anywhere near our part of the building. Teachers are always in the student bathrooms using them because that’s all we have in our HS.

[Anonymous]

The new collective bargaining agreement indicates that all teachers and instructional staff will have "duties." What they are and how much time it takes seems up to each principal.

[Anonymous]

The collective bargaining agreement might’ve been good as far as salaries go, but it’s worthless when they gave approbation to such a nonspecific word as “duties” That word can mean just about anything. It is obvious as well to many teachers that the CBA only favors the union higher-ups and the administrations. Not the teachers in the trenches.

[Anonymous]

Apparently this "duty" period has been in our contract for years, they just decided to suddenly enforce it this year.

...which very much feels like retaliation for the collective bargaining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers don’t monitor bathrooms typically. That’s some else’s job.

This year it is teachers' jobs.

I don’t understand how teachers have time for that on top of all of their other duties.

When something needs to get done, just throw it on the teachers. Don’t worry. They’ll get their own work done at home, I guess.

Who else do you think should be responsible for monitoring the bathrooms then?

Our MS has placed monitors across all bathrooms and at hallway intersections. Staff assigned those locations take their laptops with them and still get work done (emails at least) and it has definitely cut down on behaviors and cutting classes. I frequently see my APs in the halls at a desk, monitoring students. And my principal is out in the school as well when they have time.

If you want a "safe" school, everyone needs to pitch in to make that happen.

Back in the day, our HS had adults hall monitors/security. Their job was to monitor bathrooms and hallways. These school districts have insane budgets -- hire support staff and stop dumping everything on teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers don’t monitor bathrooms typically. That’s some else’s job.

This year it is teachers' jobs.

I don’t understand how teachers have time for that on top of all of their other duties.

When something needs to get done, just throw it on the teachers. Don’t worry. They’ll get their own work done at home, I guess.

Who else do you think should be responsible for monitoring the bathrooms then?

Our MS has placed monitors across all bathrooms and at hallway intersections. Staff assigned those locations take their laptops with them and still get work done (emails at least) and it has definitely cut down on behaviors and cutting classes. I frequently see my APs in the halls at a desk, monitoring students. And my principal is out in the school as well when they have time.

If you want a "safe" school, everyone needs to pitch in to make that happen.

Back in the day, our HS had adults hall monitors/security. Their job was to monitor bathrooms and hallways. These school districts have insane budgets -- hire support staff and stop dumping everything on teachers.

Some of the security guards are now permanently monitoring the metal detectors at building entrances.

[Anonymous]

I thought FCPS and elected officials were working to get rid of SROs. Is that not still the case? We had three but I think only one now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the reasoning for teachers manning stations outside bathrooms or schools locking bathroom doors?

A huge number of kids are vaping in the bathrooms

Smoking in bathrooms has been an issue for decades. Why does it seem we need more monitoring? What was the inflection point?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the reasoning for teachers manning stations outside bathrooms or schools locking bathroom doors?

A huge number of kids are vaping in the bathrooms

Smoking in bathrooms has been an issue for decades. Why does it seem we need more monitoring? What was the inflection point?

Vaping is worse for their lungs than smoking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the reasoning for teachers manning stations outside bathrooms or schools locking bathroom doors?

A huge number of kids are vaping in the bathrooms

Smoking in bathrooms has been an issue for decades. Why does it seem we need more monitoring? What was the inflection point?

The inflection point was when everyone started walking around with a smartphone. Same thing with fighting, using racist language, and all other kinds of bad behavior. It's been going on for ages but now schools can't pretend it's not an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers don’t monitor bathrooms typically. That’s some else’s job.

This year it is teachers' jobs.

I don’t understand how teachers have time for that on top of all of their other duties.

When something needs to get done, just throw it on the teachers. Don’t worry. They’ll get their own work done at home, I guess.

Who else do you think should be responsible for monitoring the bathrooms then?

Our MS has placed monitors across all bathrooms and at hallway intersections. Staff assigned those locations take their laptops with them and still get work done (emails at least) and it has definitely cut down on behaviors and cutting classes. I frequently see my APs in the halls at a desk, monitoring students. And my principal is out in the school as well when they have time.

If you want a "safe" school, everyone needs to pitch in to make that happen.

I teach in a different district. My role is to instruct.

There are many non-classroom based people who have fewer obligations and more unstructured time than teachers.

Ideally, schools should hire more security. But if they can’t/won’t, I don’t see how putting even more on overworked teachers is an effective strategy. It certainly isn’t helping keep people in the profession.

[Anonymous]

There absolutely needs to be staff monitoring the hallways and the bathrooms, especially before school and after school or at hotspots the county should be investing funds in more security guards and vaping detectors and other measures that would cut down on vaping and cutting class. Sadly, this needs to happen. I like how one teacher mentioned they can work on their laptop outside in the hall and it’s cutting down on vaping and cutting class and the teachers are still getting work done.

[Anonymous]

Teachers monitored hallways, lunches, and bathrooms over 30 years ago. Nothing has changed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers don’t monitor bathrooms typically. That’s some else’s job.

This year it is teachers' jobs.

I don’t understand how teachers have time for that on top of all of their other duties.

When something needs to get done, just throw it on the teachers. Don’t worry. They’ll get their own work done at home, I guess.

Who else do you think should be responsible for monitoring the bathrooms then?

Our MS has placed monitors across all bathrooms and at hallway intersections. Staff assigned those locations take their laptops with them and still get work done (emails at least) and it has definitely cut down on behaviors and cutting classes. I frequently see my APs in the halls at a desk, monitoring students. And my principal is out in the school as well when they have time.

If you want a "safe" school, everyone needs to pitch in to make that happen.

This is so degrading to teachers who are paid to teach. Just wait until a students looks over the shoulder at a teacher looking at emails in a hallway and reads something confidential or someone complains the teacher wasn’t looking up when a fight occurred because they were on their laptop.

The real reason why it is an issue is that schools no longer give consequences like lengthy detentions or suspend students so students don’t care if they are caught. They just have to do some hocus pocus restorative justice talk and they are on their way to get in some more trouble.