The student restrooms have been experiencing several issues, including plumbing problems, poor-quality facilities, and out-of-order stalls. Principal Diana Nguyen provided an update on the situation.
The update includes the potential installation of new toilets, the replacement of all partitions, and new vape detectors.
Mr. James, the plant manager, brought in a plumbing company to assess all the bathrooms. The results are concerning due to the number of foreign objects flushed down the toilets.
“It is like upwards of six to $7,000 depending on how bad it is. So it’s super expensive every time we bring the rooting companies out,” said Principal Nguyen.
Due to the severe damage, Nguyen is still considering whether replacing all the toilets is the most cost-effective solution.
The partitions in the student restrooms will be replaced by April because of the number of students vaping in the stalls and adults who cannot follow them inside.
Vape detectors will be installed to combat this issue, although the timeline for their installation is still unknown. Despite the issues surrounding the student bathrooms, updates might take a while.
“What I’m actually starting to learn a lot now that I’m in the principal position and working more with facilities is that sometimes, you know, repairs and things just take a lot longer than I want,” said Nguyen.
Nguyen discussed with the assistant superintendent of business (CBO) of the Campbell Union High School District about prioritizing “refreshing the bathrooms in some way,” at least for the next school year.
Regarding the student restroom issues in the first semester, California Education Code section 35292.5 states:
“(a) Every public and private school maintaining any combination of classes from kindergarten to grade 12, inclusive, shall comply with all of the following: (1) Every restroom shall at all times be maintained and cleaned regularly, fully operational, and stocked at all times with toilet paper, soap, and paper towels or functional hand dryers. (2) The school shall keep all restrooms open during school hours when pupils are not in classes and shall keep a sufficient number of restrooms open during school hours when pupils are in classes.”
All the student restrooms have been open since winter break. One argument Nguyen has made with the district is “If the space is not worthy of respect, then students will not respect it.”
