Secondary school BATHROOMS

[Anonymous]

^^^^ sorry, meant to write “vape” not “rape.”

Darned auto-correct!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid comes home and spends an hour on the toilet with diarrhea and or constipation from holding it in each day. It's horrible especially when kids have their periods too. Known health crisis and they alway say "We're looking into it". It's ruined my kids digestive system. She tries to poop before school to try to avoid this and it actually is a problem if sports are after school. Sometimes she'll leave to got to a nearby coffee shop which believe it or not- has a line.

This is horrible. I am sorry. I heard about a kid with an iep due to ibs and he has to spend 20 minutes trying to find an unlocked bathroom. This can't go on. I am willing to write a letter or join others in making noise about this.

[Anonymous]

I'm on a teacher FB page and some were complaining that staff bathrooms are locked and not everyone were given keys so they had to hunt down a key in order to go (not every school was like this but other staff chimed in that they are having issues too).

[Anonymous]

I have kids at two different MCPS high schools. They do not use the bathrooms. I only know this, because during Covid I asked them if there was enough soap for them to wash their hands and they looked at me like I was crazy and said, we don’t use the bathrooms. They just hold it in all day. It’s awful. Wish we could afford private

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:In addition to physical limitations (closing facilities) many schools also limit numbers of passes for students. I counted what my child is "entitled to" based on the policies at his school and he can go 5x/class during a marking period, and has 7 classes, so he can go to the bathroom 35/45 days. I guess the other days he just has to go during lunch or hold it.

I have given him permission to just leave the room if he's denied access to a bathroom and needs it. I'll deal with the discipline. His doctor is willing to write a note because my kid has suffered from health consequences related to holding pee and poop before.

+1 we ended up in the ER due to blockage from DC holding it too much.

It really makes me mad that all kids are being punished for the actions of a few. If those kids want to vape, let them vape their little hearts out. Why should my kid be punished for the bad things those kids do?

That’s just the way things are now in Montgomery County.

The Fallsgrove Panera had to quit leaving coffee cups out because people were stealing them. It’s a pain for both staff and customers who used to use them.

Our Giant had to lock the second set of doors because of too much shoplifting where people would just take stuff and walk right out. Again, more hassle for people.

We have created a culture where nobody follows rules anymore here in Montgomery County (people ignore housing codes, residency requirments for school attendance, immigration rules) and it’s accepted and embraced.

There are rules in place for expected behavior in high school bathrooms. But those rules are universally ignored and the bathrooms are a sh&tshow, so it’s easier to just close them.

I went to buy my kid a Panera gift card for Christmas. They didn't have any gift cards -- people had stolen them all. They hadn't even been activated -- people are just jerks.

MCPS already has rules in place with its Code of Conduct. Students are expected to behave appropriately in bathrooms.

But that is not happening. The kids have learned that they can ignore the rules (just like adults do) and get away with it.

What else can schools do? MCPS would prefer to spend money on random initiatives, versus hire more staff. It’s kind of a mess. Easier to just close bathrooms.

How about informing students/families it'll go on student's school record if vandalizing, inappropriate behaviors inside school etc.? Can a school social worker, if within their job description, visit student's home to talk to caretaker if caretaker is not responding to school admin's calls or messages?

Vandalizing public property is already a crime that should be prosecuted by the county.

How do you expect schools to investigate an incident of vandalism in the bathroom? How can they prove who vandalized a particular bathroom stall? How can a school prove that a kid was smoking weed in a restroom?

There is not enough security staff in schools to do this. And cameras in bathrooms are not a viable option.

Here's a thought. Pull back the one million dollars that was spent on letting you know where the bus is and hire 20 bathroom monitors.

There is 20 HS alone so clearly 20 bathroom monitors would not be enough. But okay. 🙄

25(HS)+40(MS) =65 schools
Depending on size of HS, up to 25 bathrooms: 25 x 25(HS)= 625
even if you need half of that, where are you going to find that many "monitors"?
And then for all the MS? Shortage of workers in the industry.

Contact MoCo Council ask them to budget for school bathroom monitors. If they took away SROs they should give our schools bathroom monitors.

I"m sure you can fine people who'll "monitor" for free!

You start the search and lets us know when you reach about 500 commited people.

[Anonymous]

MCPD needs a special SRO division dedicated to policing school bathrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid comes home and spends an hour on the toilet with diarrhea and or constipation from holding it in each day. It's horrible especially when kids have their periods too. Known health crisis and they alway say "We're looking into it". It's ruined my kids digestive system. She tries to poop before school to try to avoid this and it actually is a problem if sports are after school. Sometimes she'll leave to got to a nearby coffee shop which believe it or not- has a line.

This is horrible. I am sorry. I heard about a kid with an iep due to ibs and he has to spend 20 minutes trying to find an unlocked bathroom. This can't go on. I am willing to write a letter or join others in making noise about this.

Testify at the board of education or make news to a reporter. They ignore letters and emails because those are private. MCPS only responds to public shaming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPD needs a special SRO division dedicated to policing school bathrooms.

The political climate in Montgomery County would never allow this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid comes home and spends an hour on the toilet with diarrhea and or constipation from holding it in each day. It's horrible especially when kids have their periods too. Known health crisis and they alway say "We're looking into it". It's ruined my kids digestive system. She tries to poop before school to try to avoid this and it actually is a problem if sports are after school. Sometimes she'll leave to got to a nearby coffee shop which believe it or not- has a line.

This is horrible. I am sorry. I heard about a kid with an iep due to ibs and he has to spend 20 minutes trying to find an unlocked bathroom. This can't go on. I am willing to write a letter or join others in making noise about this.

Testify at the board of education or make news to a reporter. They ignore letters and emails because those are private. MCPS only responds to public shaming.

These anecdotes are very sad, but the student just needs to pick up the bathroom schedule from the front office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPD needs a special SRO division dedicated to policing school bathrooms.

The political climate in Montgomery County would never allow this.

Do you think the board wouldn't allow them to taser kids for not using proper bathroom etiquette? I know they're probably concerned about unnecessary roughness that has resulted in many fatalities so maybe it's warranted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The kids all know that the bathrooms are now the only place without cameras. So all the negative behavior is purposely relocated to the bathrooms. It’s almost like we need to give an unmonitored space for criminal activity and then the kids who don’t want that can just avoid that room. (I’m not serious but still.) part of the problem is that kids will lock themselves into stalls for extended periods during stuff that is not toilet related.). So you can wait in line for 15 minutes and the line doesn’t move because some kid is in there vaping while they scroll their phone.

They do have cameras outside the bathroom so probably do have a way to check for long or frequent usage but it would require someone to watch the footage and monitor the data — short of AI, that’s not really possible.

I love the idea of scanning in for the bathroom. That would then allow them to easily alert parents of the frequent fliers who could determine if it’s a bladder/GI issue or a behavioral issue.

I think it’s really hard to say how many parents would care or not care because it’s my inderstanding most parents are not being informed of issues unless individual teachers reach out, which most don’t have time/energy to do.

Why not?

I mean in all seriousness: why not provide those who wish to destroy space to do that as well?

A better, more-accomplished person than you; better than all of you, took this approach:

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.



Maybe we have not provided our youth in MCPS a space to destroy, so they are taking it out on the school lavatories?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have kids at two different MCPS high schools. They do not use the bathrooms. I only know this, because during Covid I asked them if there was enough soap for them to wash their hands and they looked at me like I was crazy and said, we don’t use the bathrooms. They just hold it in all day. It’s awful. Wish we could afford private

Same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid comes home and spends an hour on the toilet with diarrhea and or constipation from holding it in each day. It's horrible especially when kids have their periods too. Known health crisis and they alway say "We're looking into it". It's ruined my kids digestive system. She tries to poop before school to try to avoid this and it actually is a problem if sports are after school. Sometimes she'll leave to got to a nearby coffee shop which believe it or not- has a line.

This is horrible. I am sorry. I heard about a kid with an iep due to ibs and he has to spend 20 minutes trying to find an unlocked bathroom. This can't go on. I am willing to write a letter or join others in making noise about this.

I would also be happy to get involved if there was any kind of group effort amongst parents to address this issue. It affects my kids on a daily basis. Our HS PTA tried but got nowhere. If someone is able to form an online group or something to get parents together, I will happy contribute time and money to the cause.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid comes home and spends an hour on the toilet with diarrhea and or constipation from holding it in each day. It's horrible especially when kids have their periods too. Known health crisis and they alway say "We're looking into it". It's ruined my kids digestive system. She tries to poop before school to try to avoid this and it actually is a problem if sports are after school. Sometimes she'll leave to got to a nearby coffee shop which believe it or not- has a line.

This is horrible. I am sorry. I heard about a kid with an iep due to ibs and he has to spend 20 minutes trying to find an unlocked bathroom. This can't go on. I am willing to write a letter or join others in making noise about this.

I would also be happy to get involved if there was any kind of group effort amongst parents to address this issue. It affects my kids on a daily basis. Our HS PTA tried but got nowhere. If someone is able to form an online group or something to get parents together, I will happy contribute time and money to the cause.

But what would the solution be?

So you organize; form a group.

To do . . . what, exactly??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid comes home and spends an hour on the toilet with diarrhea and or constipation from holding it in each day. It's horrible especially when kids have their periods too. Known health crisis and they alway say "We're looking into it". It's ruined my kids digestive system. She tries to poop before school to try to avoid this and it actually is a problem if sports are after school. Sometimes she'll leave to got to a nearby coffee shop which believe it or not- has a line.

This is horrible. I am sorry. I heard about a kid with an iep due to ibs and he has to spend 20 minutes trying to find an unlocked bathroom. This can't go on. I am willing to write a letter or join others in making noise about this.

I agree, it’s a terrible situation.

But I’d think a kid with a medical IEP could use the nurse’s office.