After the bell rings, students wait impatiently for the time to pass so they can finally be allowed to go to the restroom. They jump out of their seat and race to the bathroom door where they come face to face with broken locks, bursted pipes, flooded floors and what can only be explained as a pungent odor that fills the room. This is the daily experience described by Francis Lewis students when using the student restrooms.

“The strip bathroom is horrific,” senior Maryann McGovern said. “I don’t know what’s going on in that bathroom, there’s floods, it’s so old, and why are there scratches on the mirror?”

“The only problem I really have is the strip bathroom and the second floor bathroom,” McGovern added. “There’s no mirrors in the 2nd floor bathroom. The other bathroom on the first floor is ok. The third one, I don’t really use so I don’t know.”

Many students have expressed their distaste for the bathrooms, and have mentioned that they refrain from using them due to their conditions. For many, it is an experience that they would rather avoid during the long school days, and even their time after school.

“I would say that the bathroom is always flooded,” sophomore Mia Leon said.  “I feel like I don’t even want to go to the bathroom because it’s nasty. Also, the amount of roaches I’ve seen, like really big water bugs, is ridiculous and it makes me want to throw up.”  

“Most of the time when I’m wearing flare leggings I have to hike them up so they don’t touch the dirty water,” Leon said.  “I have to create my own lock so the bathroom stalls won’t open while I’m using the bathroom.” 

Although several students stated conditions need to improve, other students such as junior Elianny Eras believe that students can still do their part without needing faculty involvement. She recommends that we take accountability for our restrooms by disposing of our waste properly.  Senior Daniel Gonzalez agree. 

“First, I feel that students should be more organized,” Gonzalez said,  “as well as the school enforcing a stronger sense of accountability for the bathrooms through rules.”

Deans at Francis Lewis have also taken note of the bathroom conditions.  Ms. Ishmael, who monitors the first floor, mentioned that girls should be taught the significance of hygiene in bathrooms. 

“For the most part it’s ok, it could be better,” Ms. Ishmael said. “Girls should learn to clean up after themselves a little bit more. They flush their sanitary napkins or tampons, which should never be flushed. It’s sad to see at a high school level about the importance of proper hygiene in the restrooms.”

Francis Lewis administration has requested a renovation of student bathrooms for several years, according to Principal Dr. Marmor.

“We have, for years been asking for the bathrooms to be upgraded and we still are but that’s not something the school is ignoring,” Dr. Marmor said. “We have been trying to get them renovated for over 10 years.”

Dr. Marmor also emphasized that the school is not in complete control of the school bathrooms.  The Department of Facilities, who actually work with the janitors, have more responsibility for the bathrooms.

“What we are not able to do is we are not able to have the custodians clean every period and let the students destroy it every period,” Dr. Marmor said.  “If the students are going to be disrespectful to the bathroom you’re going to have disgusting bathrooms.”

Due to the bathroom conditions, Dr. Marmor also noted that not all students can be held responsible for the damage as there are so many complaints. However, he mentioned that their strategies to target these specific students is limited.

“If kids don’t tell us what’s going on, there’s no way for us to hold anybody accountable, even though we do send Deans and myself, go into the bathrooms to clear out the students that are loitering,” Dr. Marmor explained.  

Similar to the experiences of the students, Dr. Marmor acknowledges and states different things that students do that undo all the work of the custodians in the school. 

“The more soap we put up the more kids pull it off the wall,” Dr. Marmor said.  “The more paper towels we put the more they take them and shove them in the toilet and clog up the sinks or they wet them and throw them on the ceiling,”

Dr. Marmor is well aware that students are also loitering in the bathroom, which sometimes results in illegal vaping on school grounds.  This brings to attention the following plan that Dr. Marmor is hopeful to implement at Francis Lewis. 

“We are hopefully in the process of being the first school in New York City to install vape detectors into the bathrooms,” Dr. Marmor said. “I have been working very closely with our technology department to get the infrastructure which is the electricity, the Wi-Fi, the data line to run those vape detectors.”