Schools
High School's Bathroom Policy Has Some Hopping Mad
Students at Zephyrhills High School must have an escort from administration to use the restroom.

When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go.
Unless you happen to be a student at Florida’s Zephyrhills High School.
In that case, you’ll have to wait for an administrator to be called to provide an escort to the facilities – a wait that can last 15 minutes or so.
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That’s according to the school’s new bathroom policy put in place at spring break’s end Tuesday in an effort to curb fighting, vandalism and other issues on the campus that serves an estimated 1,500 students, Bay News 9 reported. Letters from a doctor trump the policy and students who are deemed as being “on track” after grades come out on Friday will not be subject to it any longer, the station reported. Those who find themselves failing classes, however, will still need an escort as the school year winds down.
“We had some kids spread feces in the bathroom, we had fights in the bathroom, we had some theft issues,” Principal Andrew Frelick explained to WFLA.
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Teacher Catherine Burgess elaborated further, saying there had been drug deals in the halls and “students having sex in bathrooms.”
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While teachers and some students support the new policy, it’s not being embraced by all.
Student Kylee-Ann Witzke says the new policy is demeaning. “I feel very violated, very uncomfortable to come to school,” she told Bay News 9.
Witzke isn’t alone.
Parent Brian Blackburn says the policy is “ludicrous” and told WFLA he doesn’t understand how intelligence has anything to do with the bladder.
While Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning has fielded a number of a number of complaints, he’s also received about 30 messages from Zephyrhills faculty who support the policy, TBO reported. It is unclear at this time if the policy will be changed.
What are your thoughts on this? Good move on the part of the school or overkill to curb problems caused by the few? Tell us what you think by commenting below!
Image via Shutterstock
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