Currently students are allowed four hall passes per period per marking period during the school day.  This affects many students because it limits where they can go throughout the day.  This can cause students to be unable to use the restroom or even get a drink of water if they need to.  Although students get a three minutes break in between classes, this isn’t enough time to get to your next class and use the restroom.    

According to the survey done by the society for women’s health research, more than a third of high school nurses said they don’t think the break period in between classes is long enough for students to use the bathroom.  The survey also found that schools often disregard student’s bathroom rights by not having any clear restroom rules, and are under educating teachers on bladder health.       

Research from the National Center For Biotechnology Information shows that when student’s bathroom needs aren’t being satisfied at school it has a negative effect on their health. Holding in urine can cause weakened bladder muscles which leads to increased risk of urinary tract infections.  According to the Women’s health research survey, 88 percent of teachers encourage their students to hold their pee. “Restricting access to the bathroom forces students into unhealthy toileting habits, such as holding in urine, which may create health problems that will follow students into adulthood and decrease their quality of life,” according to Rebecca Nebel, PhD.   

Teachers raise a valid point when they say some students can go to the restroom to misbehave or skip class.  To try and prevent this, teachers could get students to fill out a log of where they’re going and how much time they spent there.  This could help prevent people from skipping class because it would limit the amount of time students could spend in the bathroom.  Another solution would be to give students designated bathroom breaks throughout the day.  This would allow students to use the restroom outside of class time and help limit the amount of students in the bathroom during teacher instruction.   

I feel like schools do restrict students’ restroom usage.  The only times throughout the day we can use the restroom are in between classes and at lunch.  We do get hall passes but those can be used quickly, leaving students to hold their bladder all day.  This can result in serious long term damage to your bladder muscles which can cause health problems later in life.  Overall, I feel like schools should change their policies to make the restrooms more accessible to students throughout the school day.