The limited bathroom passes policy has been an issue for students lately, with some teachers starting to designate  a certain number of bathroom passes per semester; some teachers only give us three passes per semester, others six  and a few have no policy at all.

I asked two teachers about this policy: Tara Donohoe, who is a teacher who doesn’t use this bathroom policy, and Valerie Bolante, who is very strict with  this policy. 

First I asked Bolante what her bathroom policy was.  She explained, “My bathroom policy is giving my students three bathroom passes per semester.” When I asked how she decided on this policy, she replied, “I decided on this policy because students were taking advantage of bathroom passes, going to the ‘bathroom’ for 20 to and even 30 minutes, losing class time and not taking notes.” In the case that a student used all their bathroom passes but had an emergency, Bolante shared that she would make an exception for them. She believes that this strict bathroom policy ultimately benefits students by letting them learn more, as opposed to skipping class.  Then, I asked Donohoe, who doesn’t have this policy and  is less strict on the bathroom policy. She responded, “My bathroom policy is only that if you want to go to the bathroom then ask, sign your name out, take the pass, and go.” Upon asking her how  she decided on this policy,  she explained,  “If I need to go to the bathroom, then I go to the bathroom, so if you need to go to the bathroom then go to the bathroom.” I also asked her how the bathroom policy benefits her students, and she remarked, “I think for most students it works … There are some students that take advantage of it, and I deal with that individually.”

Lastly, I decided to ask Anne Silveira (11), a Mills High School student, for her feedback about teachers who have the bathroom pass policy, and she said, “I think it is ridiculous because you shouldn’t punish everyone because a few kids are messing around, and I feel that if a few kids are messing around and losing class time, then that’s on them — not on everyone else who actually need to go to the bathroom.” I also asked her if she agrees or disagrees with this policy, and she responded, “I strongly disagree, because it’s not fair … If you need to go to the bathroom, you need to go to the bathroom.” When suggesting a ban of these policies, Silveira agreed, adding, “Yes, it should be banned because it is harmful for students, because those bathroom passes are worth points. If you don’t use the bathroom, you gain points, so some students just hold it and don’t go to the bathroom just to get some extra credit.”