School areas are meant to be clean and considerably decent for students to use throughout the school day. One would think that schools are required to follow a strict code for clean facilities, but it is still surprising how difficult it is to keep school restroom facilities clean and up to date. Hand dryers are among some of the newest implements resolving less paper use and forcing students to use the dryers for lack of paper towels. Toilet paper dispensers have been updated, helping the custodial staff do their job better. Custodial staff has also been updates as far as their cleaning materials go. They now use a reusable microfiber cleaning cloth instead of using lots of cleaning paper towels.
There are some good things concerning how school facilities are taken care of, but there are some far worse things. Some schools have the money to completely renovate and upgrade their buildings, but others barely have the money for a correct number of books. Some school restroom facilities are simply too old; some of these schools have been using the same facilities since 1970 and backwards. Students need to be able to be able to use a restroom at school, without feeling like they are grossing themselves out or feeling unsanitary. Bathroom facilities should not see rust anywhere, they should have good clean lighting, the water faucets should work so that students can wash their hands, and overall there should be enough bathrooms on campus so that students can get back to class in a timely manner.
Students need to know that washing their hands after using the restroom is extremely important. Most high school students know this and tend to follow this, but other elementary students may forget. This is how germs and diseases get spread from contagious interactions. Staff and faculty need to push hand washing and custodial staff needs to make sure that students are given a proper amount of soap to use and that water faucets are working at all times. Schools may know that their facilities are too old, but they cannot ignore the changes that need to be made forever.
Some of the problems that persist in the bathroom areas of certain schools are bathroom destruction committed by the students. Some students insist on writing on walls, not flushing toilets, and even leaving water running when they leave the restroom. Faculty and staff of the school must create some kind of disciplinary action or consequence to keep students from destructively continuing destructive behavior in the restroom. This is one of the main reasons why faculty may also refuse to fix bathrooms, because student will not stop creating problems for the school to try to fix.
It is not always the school's fault when facilities are not up to date, but it is a problem that can be fixed with the help of students and faculty. The restroom facilities are there for everyone so everyone should learn to use them correctly and respect them, just like a school classroom or your very own restroom at home.
