Raquel Duron, Editor In Chief
Dirty restrooms, busted toilets, graffitied stalls, empty soap dispensers, and broken sinks. These issues aren’t new on our campus — just accepted and persistent. Rancho Cucamonga High School has a growing population of students that seems to get larger with each coming year. With an estimated number of students enrolled in the 2019-2020 school year at around three thousand and eighty.
Senior Avni Sinaga recalled the everyday reality of our school’s growing population and accessibility to functioning restrooms, “Everyone has to use the quad restrooms, but since the population of the school is growing, more and more students use the restrooms, leaving them in a more worn out state. Most of the time only four out of the six stalls are available.” This can make for some long lines, causing students to miss class while curriculum is being taught regardless of a student’s restroom needs.
Carmalena Barreras, a senior attending Rancho Cucamonga High School considers daily class objectives before using the restroom due to such long lines — but it isn’t a solution, “In my sixth period, I don’t really have to worry as much because we don’t do much — [there’s] not a lot of teaching, you have to learn the curriculum yourself so it’s not that bad to miss but I miss being able to collaborate with others.”
Restricting access to restrooms can affect students beyond high school. Compelling students to develop unhealthy habits such as holding in urine, which can create long term health hazards. Being excused from class to use the restroom isn’t the restriction that students are faced with, most teachers simply need to be asked as a formality and permission is typically granted. The issue arises when students are confronted with long lines and a lack of supplies.
Barreras has gone as far to delaying this bodily function in order to avoid interminable lines, “I don’t want to miss class, I hate missing class. It’s my least favorite thing because it’s time I’m taking away from learning. I don’t go to the restroom with the intention of skipping class, I just want to get in there and leave. It makes me upset that there’s so many kids on campus that I can’t do that.”
The shortage in supplies and condition of facilities within Rancho Cucamonga High School’s restrooms is something tends to be overlooked amongst administration. The large amount of students sharing these restrooms may be the reason that the facilities and supply are consistently lacking. Two shared restrooms isn’t enough for our highly populated school. The solution to this pressing issue seems obvious; there needs to be more restrooms available to students during instructional time.
In the girls restrooms located in the center quad, there is a total of twelve stalls. As of October 10th 2019, one lock is broken [west side] limiting female students to eleven restrooms. There are a total of ten sinks between these two restrooms, one of which does not work [east side], a total of four soap dispensers, one of which was empty [west side] at around 9:30am. All toilet paper and toilet seat covers were fully stocked in each individual stall.
Cary Wilborn, principal at Rancho Cucamonga High School provides a more hopeful, realistic resolution: “Just throw things in the trash can, make sure that you’re being clean, those kinds of things. Not coming in there to make it a nasty bathroom because the next person right behind you wants to use a clean one. Recognize that you’re not the only person who uses that restroom, treat it like that.”
Acknowledging the student’s role in this situation is crucial. It is not solely an administration issue, but an issue that can be improved by students currently attending Rancho Cucamonga High School.
The Cat's Eye 