Bathroom closures cause disruptions, frustration at DHS

By Cooper Lauzier

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

For students at Deering High School, finding an open bathroom has become another challenge in an already busy school day. With multiple bathrooms often closed around the school, frustration is growing among many students as this basic necessity is becoming harder to access.

At Deering High School there's been a closing of the bathrooms within the first weeks of school. During class hours there's been many problems of students skipping class and misusing the bathroom for many different reasons, causing students to go all over the school to just use the bathroom.

The closures are affecting students' day to day movements throughout the school, causing wait times to increase for available bathrooms and many students to travel and leave class for longer periods, affecting teaching and learning time. Although many staff and students claim that the increase in skipping class and mistreating bathroom appliances are justifications for the current closures, the community is still left wondering and waiting for answers as these issues continue to appear unaddressed and unanswered. 

Senior student body president candidate, Daphne Z. mentioned how she’ll change this problem in an email interview.

“I would work closely with Deering's administration to draft and execute a sensible plan that achieves their goals for the bathrooms without compromising students' rights," she said.

She later added that the bathroom restrictions disproportionately impact certain groups of students.

“Locking the bathrooms affects those assigned female at birth far more than their male counterparts. Not only are women's bladders almost 30% smaller than mens (to make space for their reproductive organs), but when women are menstruating, it is necessary that they have access to a place to change their tampon/pad.” 

Not only have the closures impacted students, they've also impacted staff.  

“This situation has given me less time in my office and forced me to roam the halls," said Abu Abu, Culture and Climate Coordinator at Deering.