Sanger High bathrooms have been hit hard by vandals this school year causing them to be temporarily closed periodically for repairs. This means students have to wait to travel further to find an open restroom and it is costing the school negatively.
“Vandalism to the restrooms is costly to the school,” said Assistant Principal Brian Kratlian. “At this time parts are very expensive and limited which slows the process of repairs.”
Senior Victor Chong is tired of seeing the damage some students are doing to the restrooms which includes vandalism and graffiti. Bathroom stalls have been written on and mirrors are targeted and have inappropriate words. He cited cracked and scratched mirrors and hate speech against other people written on the stall walls.
“Honestly, it hurts to see people ruin things for absolutely no reason, especially when it’s for the public,” said Chong.
Chong doesn’t believe the school will ever completely get rid of hate and bullies, but he is hopeful that small positive steps will eventually make a difference.
“We can have a bigger impact by attempting to create a better, positive environment,” he said. The school can create an environment where all students feel safe and can be themselves no matter what they did in the past, or who they are in the present.
“They should shed more light on societal issues, and not be scared to get political with any form of discrimination,” he added.
The school has already started to implement a plan to try to improve the damage done by students. Kratlian said administration is currently working with the maintenance department to make repairs to the restrooms. This includes fixing the sinks and repairing broken items in the restrooms.
“We have campus monitors at each of the restroom areas that do regular checks of the restroom and they alert us of any damage done to the restrooms,” he said.
While students may be inconvenienced by the vandalism in the restrooms, it’s the maintenance department workers who are often the real victims of the messes left by students.
Custodian Mario Izazoqui said the only way to keep the restrooms clean and open for everyone is for the students themselves to stop vandalizing the facilities.
The school tried to improve this problem by fixing destroyed items. Izazoqui said the school has recently fixed broken sinks in the restrooms. But students should recognize how it affects the school and other students.
“Vandalism in the school restroom makes it look ghetto and trashy,” Izazoqui said. “I don’t think closing the restroom will stop the issue, the issue is the students,” said Izazoqui
He pleaded with students to “take pride” in the school and to pick up trash when eating on campus and help everyone keep the restrooms accessible and clean.
“The lazy man works twice as hard,” he added.