Students need more passes and restroom breaks during the day

By Che'Niyah S.

At Airport High School this school year they have a digital pass system called SmartPass instead of the regular paper passes. All the passes have to be written on SmartPass, and you only get two passes a day until a teacher override is required, and only have five minutes as the default amount of time to do your business which isn't enough time. Students should be allotted more passes each day and more time assigned to the pass.

One reason that AHS students should have more than two  passes a day is that sometimes students need to use the restroom. Some students have to use the bathroom more than two times a day, and holding one’s urine is not good for you. They use the restroom more than twice due to medical reasons. For example, Jacob R., who sits next to me in one of my classes, has to use the restroom more than twice a day due to medical reasons. According to numerous web resources, including Healthline, people Should never hold their pee, especially if they have poor muscle control, nerve damage, or excessive urine production, known as polyuria. Healthline also reports that, in certain circumstances, holding urine for any length of time can be dangerous and result in enlarged prostate (for men), neurogenic bladder, kidney disorders, and urinary retention.  To add one more thing, according to GoodRX, on average, adults pee between four to seven times a day, and that is totally normal, so the hall passes should align more with what is natural in our bodies. 

The second reason is that classes are hours long, twice as long as schools like   Bc’s  so it isn't fair we already have such a few breaks.  Schools with seven classes a day like Bc get seven breaks between classes but AHS only gets to have three breaks so we get half the breaks of them, which isn't fair. 

The third reason is that students need more than five minutes to use the bathroom and do their business. Only five minutes to use the bathroom and do our do’s? I dont think that's enough time, we may need to freshen up or to let out some emotions, most people don't feel comfortable crying in class. 

 Teachers disagree with my position. They might say, “Why didn’t you go before class” or something like that.  They might also argue that they themselves handle their business between classes, and so should students. However, this perspective is misguided because they are adults and we are just kids still learning to be responsible. 

Faith B. (a freshman at AHS) said, “Yes, I do think we need more bathroom passes because you never know what someone could be going through internally or physically. You never know what someone has going on in life so they shouldn't be shamed for going to the bathroom.”

“You don’t know what that person ate or how their stomach reacts. Another reason I have is that some people get away to the bathroom to let out emotions, maybe cry if they need to, because nobody wants to cry in front of people,” says Trinity W., another AHS student, who also says that students shouldn’t be rushed or scolded for using the restroom.

Overall, I think that the AHS staff should be more comfortable and accepting with the idea of giving students more bathroom passes and breaks that do not take up the whole class period. You could also tell which of the students need more and which don't. For me personally, I get really upset when a teacher tells me “no” or “ why didn't you go before class?”  Teachers and admin should have more grace than that.