Passing the Bathroon Pass Along
March 27, 2009
As many schools, Neuqua Valley High School uses a system of passes in order to make sure students are not ditching class or are not students of this school. Though not checked all the time, the uses of passes are enforced, such as going to the nurse’s office. But one pass in particular is noteworthy of its sanitary level: the bathroom pass. Every time a student at Neuqua goes to the bathroom, many teachers require him to sign out and/or take a pass with him.
Many of them are pieces of laminated paper that students bring with them into the bathroom. They are left either by the stall, on the floor, or next to sink and then calmly returned back into the classroom where it will be used again by another student. The main use of bathroom passes are so that “[students] don’t take a 15 minute bathroom break” said Dean’s Assistant Chris Bedore. Students with a pass are more noticeable to administrators, allowing them to keep track of who they repeatedly see in the halls.
Yet the sanitary measures of these passes are voiced by many people. “I know there are enough germs in this school” said English teacher Shana Frederick. “I don’t want to bring any other germs into my classroom.” Many students agree with that thought. “I think they’re dirty because everyone’s touching them and you bring it in the stall with you” said Senior Kristin Morrison. Some students do not even see a need for the passes as “they’re pointless… and they are unsanitary” said Sophomore Alysha Mahmooe. “I’d rather get up and leave” adds Junior Tyler Flatt.
To somehow combat these grievances, Frederick, along with a number of other teachers, are finding alternative materials to substitute paper or clipboard passes that would be more sanitary. Currently, Frederick uses a bottle of hand sanitizer as a bathroom pass. “I thought it was gross that people would bring stuff in the bathroom and then go back to the classroom” said Frederick. “I think it’s a good idea” said Senior Vania Baltazar. “The hand sanitizer will make everything 99.9% cleaner.” Other teachers put a string on their pass so students can hang the pass while using the restroom. While teachers are getting more creative, the consensus remains the same. “They’re nasty,” said Senior Iman Rahim.
By Christy Kim, staff writer
