Bathroom problems continue to plague JC
One of the urinals in the men’s second floor Academic wing bathrooms is out-of-order. Two others are not functioning in the first men’s floor bathroom.
Two months ago, I wrote a story outlining the basic problems with JC plumbing. The biggest offenses included out-of-order sinks, lockless stalls, and general uncleanliness. Some issues, like the sinks, have been partially addressed, but JC needs to continue the repair work with as much gusto as went into the turf fields, which, unlike the bathrooms, will not be used by the entire student body on a daily basis.
The most prominent problems in the women’s bathrooms were the broken sinks. Some had been unusable for years, but it was getting to a point where girls in the second floor Academic Wing bathroom had to wait in line to wash their hands in one of only two working sinks. For this bathroom at least, all the sinks now work, although one sprays onto the counter rim—and the person—instead of in the sink itself. Six functional sinks are a victory, but they are an incomplete one. In the third floor bathroom, half the sinks run while half do not. This is no change from two months ago, but according to Facilities, the replacement part is on order.
Water sprays out of the sink, hitting the rim of the counter instead of inside the sink, in the girls’ second floor bathroom. Before Thanksgiving break, only half of the sinks in there were functional, but since then, they have all been fixed.
The mystery of the lockless stalls has also remained unsolved. In some of the women’s bathrooms, random stalls have lacked locks since before the school year began. Both the main hallway and second floor bathrooms have a stall with no lock. In a rushed mod change, when the bathrooms flood with students trying not to be late to their next class, another usable stall would undoubtedly help the flow.
Even worse, another stall in the girls’ front hallway bathrooms now sports a crumpled “Out of Order” sign, as does one of the urinals in the men’s second floor Academic Wing bathrooms. Two urinals in the men’s first floor bathrooms are not working either. At least the “Out of Order” signs reassure students that the problem is being actively worked on.
One stall in the girls’ front hallway bathroom is out-of-order, and another is missing a lock, leaving six functional stalls of eight. Another stall in the second floor girls’ bathroom is also missing a lock.
As for the cleanliness, I understand that it is never a strong point for any high school bathroom, but JC must make the effort. When straightening my room, my mother always says to make the bed first, as it goes a long way in making the room appear neater. Similarly, a little extra cleaning in the bathrooms, like scrubbing the sink bases or spraying air freshener, would go a long way to counteract the icky stalls, sinks, and smells.
Finally, students can have a huge impact on the maintenance of the school’s bathrooms. According to Facilities, all faculty and staff members have access to a general Work Order Request Form that streamlines the repair process. If students spot a missing lock or a broken paper towel dispenser, they need to ask their advisor or another teacher to fill out a Work Order Request. Additionally, they should make the effort to keep the bathrooms tidy by putting paper towels in the trash and toilet paper where it belongs—in the toilet.
Kathy Deaver is the Online Chief for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.