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Student board members tell RCS board ‘going to the bathroom is not a privilege,’ push for better access and faster hand dryers
Summary
Student ex‑officio members raised repeated concerns about high‑school bathroom closures and slow hand dryers; students reported timing dryers at about two minutes and urged controlled access (hall aides/sign-in) as a way to reduce vandalism while restoring access.
Two student ex‑officio board members used public comment to press the district on bathroom access and hygiene supplies at the high school, saying many student restrooms are locked during the day and that available hand dryers are ineffective.
Owen Smith told the board that students measured the dryers and “it takes about 2 minutes to dry a hand in the hand dryers,” a result he said his peers timed with a stopwatch. He added that on some days multiple boys’ restrooms are closed and the only paper‑towel dispensers he knew of were in single‑occupancy, gender‑neutral facilities in the library, which creates access bottlenecks.
Smith proposed reinstating a monitored sign‑in system — a hall aide stationed outside bathrooms with a clipboard — to identify students who commit vandalism and to allow supervised access for the majority who need facilities. He said that approach reduces vandalism and restores reasonable access for students.
Board members acknowledged the concern, noted tradeoffs (vandalism, staffing and hygiene), and pointed to partial alternatives such as using the library or nurse’s office when available. One board member noted legal obligations, saying the district must ensure at least one accessible restroom, and administrators said they would look into options and data by building.
What happens next: Administration agreed to collect data and follow up; board members asked for attendance/usage breakdowns by building and for staff to explore feasible solutions (staffing, improved dryers, or monitored access) before fall. The student suggestion to time and compare hand‑dryer performance was recorded as a student claim rather than verified equipment performance by the district.
