Photo: Getty Images
A high school in San Antonio, Texas, decided to remove the doors on all the bathrooms to help crack down on behavioral issues. Travis Early College High School Principal Christina Steele Hantgin told parents that the bathrooms had become unsafe, with many students using them to do illegal drugs.
"Our bathrooms were unsafe, and student incidents are evidence of this. Ninety percent of our drug offenses this year have taken place in the restrooms. I believe part of creating a safe environment for students involves being proactive and supporting them to make better decisions," Hantgin wrote in a letter to parents obtained by KEYE.
There was some controversy over the decision because parents were not notified unit a week after the doors were removed.
"The parents did not find out the main door to the bathrooms were removed until after it had been a week, and that was because our kids were a little shocked about the situation," PTSA President Myrna Ruvalcaba told the Daily Mail.
Several students voiced their displeasure as well.
"I can tell you that the students are not thrilled with the decision. At our PTSA meeting on Thursday, we did have a few students that spoke with the principal and told them that they felt uncomfortable with the decision," she said.
Hantgin explained that the school tried other strategies, such as locking bathrooms that could not be monitored by staff members, before making the drastic decision to remove the doors. She assured parents that students will have privacy when using the restroom and that none of the stalls are visible from the hallway.
Hantgintold parents that the strategy had worked. Since the doors have been removed, school officials have not reported any incidents in the bathrooms.
While Ruvalcaba understands students aren't happy, she supports the decision because it makes the school a safer place.
"As a parent, my job is to make sure that my child is safe at school and the doors were removed because the bathrooms had become unsafe for students," said Ruvalcaba. "At first, you may see it as an overreach, but it's really a necessity to try and maintain a safe school environment."