A high school in Huntington Beach, California, has replaced hall passes with QR codes when students leave the classroom. This includes the amount of time visiting the nurse, the library, a wellness space or the restroom. The policy is more of a suggestion, which can be made at each teacher’s discretion.
Students have been suggested to take only three bathroom breaks per day. The reasoning is actually well-intended, as the school aims to know students’ locations during an emergency like a fire or mass shooting, The Orange County Register reported. Another goal is to stop students from smoking in the restrooms, according to Principal Daniel Morris.
It didn’t take long before students expressed their concerns about using QR codes. They’re worried about privacy and fear retaliation or embarrassment tied to their bathroom use. They also noted that the policy isn’t fair for those students who experience menstrual cycles or more serious health concerns like IBS.
“My opinion of this whole scanning into the bathroom is definitely unfair,” Edison High School senior Jacob Green told CBS News. “I believe they want us to scan in so they can track and see who the kids are going into the restroom and vaping and taking too long. Since they have a time limit, they can see exactly how long they’re gone for and kind of estimate who the issue is and how to resolve it.”
Some students also said that the bathrooms are spaced across the schools, making the policy unrealistic.
“Some people have classes far and we only have three bathrooms in this school,” student Alyssa Williams said. “It’s kind of spaced out weird, so it takes us at least half of our time to get to the bathroom.”
Principal Morris reassures that the policy is flexible and that the school knows that each student may have different needs.
“We understand kids’ situations, and in 99% of those cases, we’re aware of the students that need extra visits,” he told The Orange County Register.
Still, students have started a petition that has collected nearly 600 signatures as of this writing. The petition argues that the policy violates the Fourth Amendment, which protects one’s privacy.
“Edison High School in Huntington Beach is unfairly preventing students from using the restroom, which goes against the government’s duty to protect the health and safety of students,” the petition reads. “We demand that Edison eliminate the restrictive bathroom policy enforced through 5-Star app and replace it with a more compassionate and health-conscious approach. Every student deserves to have their basic needs respected without fear of penalties of embarrassment.”
