School grounds must be clean and reasonably decent for student use during the school day. You’d think schools are required to follow a strict code for clean facilities, but it’s still surprising how difficult it is to keep school restrooms clean and up-to-date. Hand dryers are among some of the newer gadgets solving less paper usage and forcing students to use hand dryers for lack of paper towels. Toilet paper dispensers have been upgraded, helping housekeeping staff do their job better. The custodial staff have also been updated on their cleaning materials. They now use a reusable microfiber cleaning cloth instead of using lots of cleaning paper towels.

There are some good things about how well school facilities are cared for, but there are some much worse things. Some schools have the money to completely renovate and improve their buildings, but others barely have the money for the right amount of books. Some school sanitary facilities are simply too old; some of these schools have been using the same facilities since the 1970s and vice versa. Students should be able to use a bathroom at school without feeling grossed out or unsanitary. Restrooms should not look rusty anywhere, have good lighting, water faucets should work so students can wash their hands, and generally there should be enough restrooms on campus for students to return to class from timely manner.

Students need to know that washing hands after using the restroom is extremely important. Most high school students know this and tend to follow it, but other elementary students may forget it. This is how germs and disease spread from contagious interactions. Staff and faculty should encourage handwashing and custodial staff should ensure that students are given an adequate amount of soap to use and that water faucets are working at all times. Schools may know that their facilities are too old, but they cannot ignore the changes that must be made for good.

Some of the problems that persist in the restroom areas of certain schools are the destruction of restrooms by students. Some students insist on writing on the walls, not flushing the toilet, and even flushing the water when they leave the bathroom. School faculty and staff must create some type of disciplinary action or consequence to prevent students from continuing destructive behavior in the bathroom. This is one of the main reasons why teachers may also refuse to fix bathrooms, because students keep creating problems for the school to try to fix.

It is not always the fault of the school when the facilities are not up to date, but it is a problem that can be solved with the help of the students and teachers. Bathrooms are there for everyone, so everyone needs to learn how to use them correctly and respect them, just like a classroom at school or their own bathroom at home.