GROTON. Conn – Bathroom closures and strict pass policies have emerged from vaping issues throughout FHS.
Due to many incidents involving student vape usage in the bathrooms during school hours, more than half of the student bathrooms have been closed. The bathrooms originally closed on Nov. 17. These closures began as a result of vandalism in the bathrooms, but were extended due to ongoing issues with students vaping. Although the 200 hallway bathrooms reopened on Dec. 7, the 100 bathrooms were promptly closed, and security guards were assigned to monitor everyone that goes in and out.
In order to use the bathroom, each student must sign in, with their name and the time in which they enter. On their way out, they must add the time they exited. If one of these actions is not completed by a student, the security guard monitoring that bathroom will tell them to sign in/out.
Something shocking to many students is that the penalty for entering a closed bathroom is a three-hour detention.
“A three hour detention is unfair,” said freshman Olivia Burleigh.” “But students still shouldn’t go into a bathroom if it’s closed off.”
On Dec. 4, color coded passes were administered to all teachers. Different colors signify which floor the student’s classroom is on. If a student with a specific color pass is not on the floor assigned, and tries to use the bathroom on that floor, they will be denied access to that bathroom. The first floor has green passes, the second floor (new building) has red, the second floor (old building) has orange, and the third floor has blue. As an additional precautionary measure, students are supposed to be limited to roughly five minutes in the bathroom and only one student per class is supposed to go at a time.
“Having five minutes just doesn’t work,” said sophomore Sammy Morin. “Depending on why you are using the bathroom you can’t have a time limit.”
As a school wide PSA, Mr. Brown started making announcements about vaping on Dec. 12. In these announcements he warned that if multiple students were found in a stall they are subject to being searched.
