The newest bathroom policy at Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) has sparked debate on campus among students, teachers, staff and administrators. The new system utilizes colored paper passes, which must be signed by the teacher, noting that they are aware of the student leaving class. Green passes are for the bathroom, and purple passes are for traveling to the office, counselor, media center or other areas. Each time a student uses this pass, they must write their time in and out of the classroom and keep the pass in their hand while traveling. Another option is to put the pass in a lanyard and wear it in the halls; however, many students and teachers have opted out of this method due to hygiene concerns.
The bathroom passes that have been placed in classrooms around Foothill Tech have brought up a lot of controversy with a wide variety of perspectives from students and staff. On one hand, some students and staff at Foothill Tech believe it is an inconvenience that disrupts class time, while others favor the new system, as they believe it’s a more efficient way of keeping track of the students.
A shared sentiment is that the policy is irritating and detrimental. Mia Bacigalupi ’26 stated, “This policy is hurting student freedoms because you have to get your teacher to sign you out to go to the bathroom, which is a huge inconvenience and invasion of freedom.”
On a similar note, student Taylor Ross ‘27 explained that ”having these new bathroom passes isn’t really going to help with anything, and is pretty much just a disturbance towards class because the student has to now get up and ask the teacher to sign their slip before using the restroom.” This concern was a common theme among students and a few teachers, who believed that the passes were causing more of a disturbance than they are worth.
On the other hand, Richard Geib, a history and government teacher at Foothill Tech, believes that the new bathroom pass system is necessary, but “unfortunate that we came to this.” While the system may feel inconvenient to some, it is ultimately designed to improve the school environment by ensuring that students are where they are supposed to be during class. Geib further elaborated by stating, “Student freedoms are always subject to people breaking the rules,” meaning that the actions of a few students can result in restrictions for the majority. While it is unfortunate that the school had to implement this system due to misuse, the pass system has the potential to create a more structured and focused school day for students, which would benefit students in the long run.
Emily Hunt, the AP Environmental Science teacher at Foothill Tech, offers a different perspective on the bathroom policy. “The new bathroom passes are uniform, making it the same throughout campus, adding a lot more organization,” Hunt stated. Hunt continued to say that she has noticed fewer students choosing to use the restroom during class time, which has made a positive impact on the classroom environment.
While there are concerns about the new bathroom policy, overall, many of the staff at Foothill Tech believe it will provide a better learning experience for students and a less stressful teaching environment for faculty. The burden of tracking where a student is and how long they’re gone for is one that many teachers hold, all while teaching other students. Students may feel that this is an insult to their trust, but admin’s actions are not empty. Finding a method to satisfy both sides is a challenge, but it will ultimately be needed to maintain a trustful relationship between students and staff.
