Most Lake Shore High School teachers have instituted a new bathroom policy for the 2022- 23 school year. Teachers think it’s a great idea, but the students have different views on this new policy. Most students feel like the teachers are being unfair and punishing students for an everyday need that everyone has. 

Joshua Wandzel, Senior, said, “[teacher] enforces the bathroom passes with five passes per marking period. If a student exceeds five passes during a marking period, then they will receive a lunch detention. I strongly disagree with this rule because I feel like it is unfair for the people that don’t abuse the bathroom passes.” 

Gerald Kaiser, Senior, said, “None of my teachers have individual bathroom passes, but in my education paradigm class, the students are only allowed two passes per semester. Which I think is pointless.”

Many students disagree with the individual passes because it is unfair. Students are aware that some people abuse the bathroom rights here at Lake Shore, but they also believe that not everyone should get the punishment for it. 

The bathrooms in between classes are normally packed full of students and the lines are long. This causes the students to be late to class if they were to wait in line. If a student were to exceed the amount of times they can use the bathroom for a semester, the student wouldn’t be able to go.

Some teachers are laid back about this bathroom pass policy and let their students go when they need to without a punishment or limit. Some teachers have different ways of the bathroom policy. For example, 

Dawn Barath, English teacher, has a punch card with ten punches available. Barath says, “If a student needs to leave the classroom, they give me their punch card, and it is punched. The goal is not to use up your ten punches, because they’re extra credit points.”

Ben Maleszyk, math teacher, said, “I have two passes that some students in the building renovations class made for me. This way, I don’t have to constantly stop teaching and write bathroom passes.” 

Maleszyk continued, “I think the six minutes should be enough time to make a quick bathroom trip and make it to class. I have a policy that if students come in and check with me before the bell, they can drop off their stuff and ask to use the bathroom. This way they are missing minimal class time.” 

Since Maleszyk doesn’t give any individual passes to students, there are no consequences for when you have to use the restroom. In the past years, most, if not all, teachers would use the same policy that Maleszyk has and no students would be penalized. 

The new bathroom policy has given conflicted feelings between the students and teachers that follow the policy. Some teachers and students find the new policy beneficial and some find it not. It is all up to the teachers to enforce the policy and the students to choose if they want to follow it.