During a seven hour school day, sometimes all I need to do is use the bathroom, but to do that, I have to participate in a confusing and unnecessary system.

Wilde Lake introduced a new bathroom system during the first week of May. Each bathroom is open for certain periods of the day and closed for the rest. The bathroom doors have been labeled with signs indicating what periods a bathroom is open. But not only is the bathroom schedule confusing and hard to remember, it’s also inaccurate.

Many times, I’ve gone to the bathroom that should be open to find it closed. Other times, bathrooms that should be closed are open. This has led to dozens of students wandering hallways looking for a place to pee. Over a thousand students are given access to two restrooms at a time, creating not only unsanitary, but also disgusting and embarrassing conditions for us to access the most basic thing: a toilet.

During a ten minute break from an Advanced Placement (AP) exam, I asked to go to the bathroom. The closest bathroom to my testing room was locked. So, I went upstairs to the second floor. The sign on the door claimed “OPEN for periods 1, 2, 3” and during third period – locked.

I ran into another girl who needed to use the bathroom during my scavenger hunt for an unlocked restroom. We both sighed as I checked the locked door. Our hunt for an open bathroom continued to the other side of the building as my ten minute break from testing was almost over.

Ironically, we finally arrived at an unlocked bathroom that claimed it was “OPEN for periods 4, 5, 6” (it wasn’t 4th, 5th, or 6th period). I waited behind the five other girls in line, while three more were scattered around the floor like resting zombies. Apparently using the bathroom has become a luxury at Wilde Lake, featuring long lines and overcrowded sinks.

This system was implemented to stop students from skipping class in the bathrooms and participating in smoking weed and vaping. But now, those skippers are playing a new game, which is even more disruptive. They are going in the only open bathroom, passing around a vape, then running to the next open bathroom, a game which is putting the rest of us into situations where we have to encounter drug use while in our most vulnerable position.

But the truth is, class skippers are finding the singular open bathroom in the school building and continuing to skip class, while everyone else is losing class time because they have to hunt down an open stall.

This new system is failing every student at our school who uses the bathroom.

My walk to and from the bathroom took up so much more time than it needed to. I shouldn’t have to go up a flight of stairs and venture across the entire school building to find an accessible restroom. While I appreciate the exercise, I would rather spend that time efficiently in class, but I can’t do that if the closest open bathroom to my classroom is an eternity away.

There are over 90 staff members in the building and four administrators. It is their job to ensure everyone’s safety and freedom to have an accessible restroom. The signs are not only lazy, but they are also a missed opportunity for staff to be present in the halls during the most chaotic parts of the day.

So instead of signs, how about hall monitors? A staff member could be put in charge of monitoring a bathroom each period. I would feel comfortable with a staff member outside of the restrooms monitoring the activity if that would mean no more locked bathrooms.

This system is unfair to all students who do not skip class. The confusing language and inaccurate signage are upsetting for students who simply want to take care of their business and go to class. They are wasting class time trying to find an open bathroom.

I don’t want to have to complete an unplanned treasure hunt for an open bathroom stall during the school day. Sometimes, I just need to use the bathroom.