By MIA SHU
Jericho High School has implemented a new rule that requires bathroom doors to remain open and for students to electronically sign in before entering.
Prior to these changes, bathroom doors could remain closed and students were monitored using a paper sign-in sheet. Administration was concerned that some students abused their bathroom privileges by partaking in inappropriate activities. Assistant Principal Dr. Finlay said, “It was a space that’s behind closed doors and it’s not supervised. It became a hangout.”
According to Dr. Finlay a physical sign-in sheet was ineffective so they decided to switch to digital. In this way, data on student use could be accessed more efficiently. She said, “If a student asked to use the bathroom during class and never came back, it would be very time-consuming to go back and flip through pages and pages of names.”
Assistant Principal Dr. Finlay spearheaded the changes to Jericho High School’s bathroom sign-in policy.
With the new system, students are required to scan a QR code located which calls up a digital sign-in sheet where students enter their names and which bathroom they are using. In case they do not have a device on hand, students can manually enter their information into a Google form on the hall monitor’s Chromebook.
Some students have concerns about the new procedure. They feel keeping doors open and requiring digital sign-ins will not deter offenders. Rather, they make the bathroom less private. Sophomore Jennifer H. said, “I think that this will reduce vaping, but will not end the problem altogether.”
She added, “Students also change in school bathrooms for sports, and there is less privacy when the door is open.”
Similarly, senior Emersyn W. find the digital sign-in frustrating. She said, “I think it’s better to have the binder to tell the time, taking out your phone and scanning always takes too long because the Wi-Fi here is pretty slow.”
The new policy appears to be working extremely according to administrators. Dr. Finlay said, “I’ve seen a major improvement. Last year, a lot of students would come to us and talk to us about how uncomfortable they were in the bathroom due to other things going on. This year, we haven’t had any reports of suspicious activity.”