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We live in a society where places can be exclusively associated with certain groups of people, as is the case with restrooms assigned to a specific gender. However, this isn’t the case anymore at BOYCP.

Teachers and students were notified about BOYCP’s new, gender-neutral bathroom signage in November. This is a major step in making the school a safe place for students; this decision means that individuals who feel comfortable in any restrooms are now welcome in those spaces. All restrooms on the second and third floor that are north of each set of water fountains will have menstrual hygiene disposal and units of menstrual hygiene products. The south bathrooms at each group of fountains will have urinals. On the first floor, the restroom on the west (cafeteria) side will also have menstrual hygiene disposal and units of menstrual hygiene products. On the east (north office) side, the restroom will have urinals.

Students have shared their feelings and thoughts regarding this change. A junior student, who wished to remain anonymous, shared her thoughts regarding this change, “People could be sexist at school and probably judge a non-binary person when they don't have pronouns.” They also shared how they fear students may face bullying for expressing their true identity. Freshman Shifra Elias stated, “I do hope that there’s more input from those who don’t fall within either [binary gender identity]. As someone of the female gender, I see no problems with the bathrooms so far.” Senior Jason Cisneros also spoke on the subject, mentioning, “As someone who has experienced bullying and not feeling accepted within their environment, it's warming to see that the school, staff, teachers, and other people care about the feelings and emotions of the students within the building.”

Moreover, it is important to highlight that teachers also feel proud that the school is making progress towards making students feel accepted. Mr. Potter, a social science teacher at BOYCP, mentioned, “Students have told me they are happy with the change and want to make sure it is done in a way that increases the respect and acceptance of their preferences.” The Acceptance Club’s sponsors, Mr. Morrow and Ms. Cole, also expressed that there’s still work to be done as a community to ensure everyone’s safety and well being. As Mr. Morrow said, “…This feels like a larger scale type of progress, but we all must do our part to ensure safety for every student in our day-to-day routines.” Ms. Cole added, “I want to encourage both teachers and students to be brave and speak up when they hear inappropriate or hateful comments.”

BOYCP is a safe place where everyone should feel safe and accepted. If you or anyone is experiencing any type of bullying or harassment, please report it to an adult. We must not tolerate hate.

Part of what makes BOYCP a standout high school is its inclusive and welcoming environment for students and staff alike. Unfortunately, the rising cases of vandalism, tardies, and absenteeism in our school disrupt the safe space our community has worked diligently to maintain. The student body is ultimately responsible for upholding our school’s values.

With issues like vandalism or littering on the rise as of late, identification of specific actors can be difficult. Dr. Brekke acknowledged that, in these instances, “We’re not one-hundred percent sure that we can say ‘it was this student’ because there’s generally a cluster of young men in the restroom, and when we find it, we look at the camera, but it’s four or five students who went in and out around the time that we think it happened.” That being said, some, but not all, students involved in these acts eventually confessed about their roles. Rather than punishing students with suspensions and other traditional means, Dr. Brekke emphasized the CPS student code of conduct’s restorative justice aims. Town halls held in early November for the lower grade levels touched on the issue of respecting the school, but Dr. Brekke conveyed an important message for seniors: “We’re depending on you guys to be role models, and…it’s a big ask, but it’s also gonna take every adult in this building to be committed to that kind of work.”

Consequently, many students have begun to wonder whether or not BOYCP will transition back to mandatory uniforms as a form of punishment for misconduct. “When we were in remote learning, we had a lot of students that had to go work full time because they had to help their parents. We were trying to figure out how to help students who were working a full day shift. One of the LSC members asked, ‘Is it appropriate for us to ask [the class of 2022] to buy uniforms for one year and then [they’re] out? Is that appropriate for us to ask parents to make that big financial sacrifice for many of our families?’ The LSC voted, and not everybody was in agreement, but the majority voted to have uniforms suspended for one year,” explains Dr. Brekke.

Full article available in the 'Opinion' section