The restrooms at Laguna Beach High School are far from perfect and are constantly the source of complaints from students.The overall state of the bathrooms has produced student concerns about health and safety. These issues have been written about multiple times by the Brush and Palette staff, which has prompted a few small changes in the bathrooms over the years. The biggest renovation of the bathrooms was in 2004—over 10 years ago! There is a need for major improvement.  

One of the biggest concerns from students are the cracks in between the stall doors. For awhile, a stall was completely missing a door; however, the door was finally replaced after the frustration of students became more apparent. Some locks on the doors don’t work, either.

“People can easily look through the stall and see you while you use the bathrooms,” said freshman Zoe Payne-Cater.

Furthermore, many of the necessary restroom items are rarely in stock. These include paper towels, soap and toilet seat covers. With the hundreds of students using the restrooms each day, necessary toiletries need to be replenished throughout the day. Many of the paper towel dispensers have ceased to work as well, leaving students with wet hands. Also, toilet seat cover dispensers are not even provided in a majority of the stalls.

Also, a few sinks have developed a moldy residue. Only a sad amount of water is spit out into the dirty sinks, rendering them useless. The sinks are old, filthy and in dire need of a renovation.

“I am scared to use the restroom because it is unsanitary in many ways,” said freshman Isabella Shiells.

Additionally, the trash cans in the restrooms don’t provide nearly enough space for all the trash that is being thrown away. This leaves water bottles, paper towels and trash being left on the floor, on the sinks or in the stalls. Students, however, should do their part as well and try to throw things away in other trash cans. Also, there is often water on the floor because the toilet sprays water when being flushed.This makes walking into the bathrooms very repulsive.

“I think if everyone took ownership of them [the restrooms] and took pride in the campus, that would have a dramatic impact,” said LBUSD director of facilities Jeff Dixon. “Students should report any issues they come across in the restrooms immediately to the office so that they can be addressed immediately. As far as other improvements, I think it would be great if the students emailed me or submitted their idea to our facilities survey on the facilities web page.”

The bathrooms on the campus should definitely become a top priority. With our campus as great as it is, the bathrooms should meet those standards as well.  Perhaps it is time for the students to stop merely complaining and to take an active role as Mr. Dixon has suggested: First, we can be more tidy, and second, we can begin to turn our frustrations into formal complaints to the front and district offices.