Why are the Bathrooms Always a Mess?

“Why Are The Bathrooms Always A Mess?”

By: Amayah de Pina

Vandalism in schools has always been a problem. More times than not, you will hear assistant principals complaining about paint being chipped off the bathroom walls and soap dispensers being stolen. Schools across the country and even across the world struggle with students vandalizing school property.

According to the Nashua School District Board of Education policies, “Defacing or vandalizing school property or the personal property of others [is] Class II.”

The consequences for a Class II offense include but are not limited to, “ The student shall be immediately removed for the rest of the class period or for the school day if the student's presence is detrimental to the classroom or poses any danger to others, the school administrator shall make every reasonable effort to contact the parent as soon as possible after the disciplinary action. A conference will be scheduled as needed.”

Not only in high schools, but even middle schools are victim to vandalisation due to students. An Elm Street Middle School 6th grader, Hailey LaFontaine, said “The worst vandalism I saw at school was (um) when the 8th graders took doors off the bathroom stalls and ripped sinks off the walls probably.”

With the uprising of TikTok, vandalism has gotten even worse because of “trends”. In the article, “Students Are Damaging School Bathrooms For Attention On TikTok” it says, "Students are destroying or stealing items at their schools, often in the school bathrooms, for what school administrators and police are blaming on a TikTok trend.”

A lot of the acts of vandalism include, stolen soap dispensers, damaged sinks, intentionally clogged toilets, mirrors ripped from walls, destruction and red dye staining the bathrooms, and ceiling tiles being destroyed.

Students tend to not realize how detrimental it is to intentionally destroy a school building and school property. Because of the money the schools now have to spend on repairs, this leads to less funding for school sports and events. It also decreases the diversity of classes schools can offer with less teacher positions open. In the article, “The Problem of School Vandalism and Break-Ins” it says, “...it also takes its toll in terms of aspects such as difficulties in finding temporary accommodations and negative effects on student, staff, and community morale.”

The amount of money that has been spent on school repairs due to student vandalism has been climbing more than you would think. In that same article above, it also says, “Various estimates reveal that the costs of school vandalism are both high and increasing.9 In 1970, costs of school vandalism in the United States were estimated at $200 million, climbing to an estimated $600 million in 1990”

The trend that started on TikTok back in 2021 is called “devious licks”. On the other hand the trend has made it easier to catch the students committing the crime because they are recording themselves and essentially self reporting.

In the “Students Are Damaging School Bathrooms For Attention On TikTok” it also says, “Even so, NPR was easily able to find school vandalism videos by making small changes to the lettering. One video showed someone with a bottle of red liquid spraying it all over a toilet and wall in a bathroom stall.”

Although majority students are aware of the criminal consequences of their actions, they tend to not care. They do not care about the destruction and the cost of their rebels.

According to Arizona State University, there are many types of motivation besides TikTok trends to vandalize schools. They include, Acquisitive vandalism which is committed to obtain property, Tactical vandalism which is used to accomplish goals such as getting school canceled, Ideological vandalism which is oriented toward a social or political cause or message, such as a protest against school rules, and Malicious vandalism which is used to express rage or frustration.”

Bathrooms are the most common places to see vandalism in schools but it is not the only place you will see it. It is common to see graffiti on the sides of the buildings. As well as writing and drawings on desks, chairs, and tables. You may also see chips in paint on the walls and on the bathroom stalls.

Another common place to see vandalism is on school sports equipment such as basketballs and baseballs. Students will intentionally poke holes and draw on the equipment. Especially badminton rackets. Students will mess with the wiring and ruin the rackets permanently.

If you think that vandalism in schools is no big deal, think again. It is a bigger problem than most people believe and it is slowly but surely destroying schools across the world.