-Bathroom Conditions-The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

By: Genesis S.

No soap. No toilet paper. Dirty floors. Germ infested water faucets. That’s the condition of some of the restrooms at the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School. Some restrooms at the school are so unsanitary they are unusable. Feces, urine, and used toiletries can be found on the floors and toilet seats in some of the restrooms at Kean.

“Some of the bathrooms are so stink, I can’t bear to go inside sometimes,” said Kencia, a tenth grader at Kean High. Kencia stated, “I think the boys’ restrooms are worse than the girls’ restrooms because the boys are just so messy.” When asked how can students help keep the restrooms clean, Kencia replied, “Students should clean up after themselves and at least try to flush after they finish using the toilet. I would like to see soap dispensers and paper towels in each restroom,” Kencia added.

However, not all restrooms at Kean High are unsanitary. Keshawn, a ninth grader, said, “The girls’ restrooms on the upper level of the school are very clean.” He added, “The worst bathrooms are the ones in the gym. On some days the boys’ restroom is really nasty.” When asked what can be done to improve the restrooms, Keshawn replied, “The custodians should clean all the restrooms every day.”

The biggest concern about the unsanitary conditions of the restrooms at Kean High is the great risk of spreading diseases, according to Assistant Principal Ms. April Petrus.

An eleventh grader said, “Hand sanitizers, better mirrors, paper towels, and scented deodorizers are some of the things I would like to see in all the restrooms at Kean.” Although hand sanitizer dispensers were placed in the hallways in the fall when everyone was worried about catching the H1N1 virus, most of them are now empty. Students have been seen deliberately wasting the sanitizer.

According to one teacher at Kean High, “The restrooms are not clean enough for anyone to be using. The restrooms next to the cafeteria are the worst. I find feminine products scattered all over the place. It’s just nasty.” The teacher agreed that the students should clean up after themselves and flush toilets after use. “The principal should hire more custodians than they have now to clean the restrooms,” she added.

When asked to compare the conditions of private school restrooms to public school restrooms, the teacher answered, “Students in private school maintain their restrooms better than the ones in public school. They take care and appreciate what they have. I have been to Antilles’ restrooms, and they are very well kept.”

Mr. Benjamin, a custodian at Kean High, agreed that the restrooms at the school are very dirty at times. “All the students should flush the toilet after they have used it, and the boys who urinate should aim properly into the toilet bowl rather than on the floor. If the students just cleaned up after themselves, this would make my job whole lot easier,” said Mr. Benjamin. “It’s up to the students to do better and have more respect for the restrooms that they use. If they want cleaner and better maintained restrooms, they need to take care of the restrooms and not destroy and vandalize them.”

When asked if the restrooms will be fixed or remodeled, Ms. Petrus replied, “There are plans to have more restrooms remodeled, hopefully this summer. The custodians and cleaners are doing the best that they can do; however, the students need to also make an effort to assist in keeping the restrooms clean.”