Parents, students question policy limiting bathroom use at BHS

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BURRILLVILLE – A policy at Burrillville High School governing when students are allowed to use the bathroom that includes electronic monitoring of how often the facilities are used and how long a student spends inside, has some saying that recent enforcement of the rules is too restrictive.

School officials, meanwhile, say that disciplinary incidents at BHS have dropped dramatically since the change to strict enforcement of the bathroom policy, and that many students say they appreciate the added privacy.

According to Supt. Michael Sollitto, protocols regarding bathroom use at BHS have been in place for many years, but enforcement efforts increased around two years ago.

The policy dictates that only three students can use any given bathroom at a time, and that bathrooms cannot be used during the first ten minutes or last ten minutes of each period. Students are also not allowed to use the facilities between classes.

And this year, the school rolled out, “SmartPass,” an electronic system used by students when they need to leave the classroom.

During class, students use their Chromebooks to request a pass, which is issued electronically to their cell phone. Passes are limited, and if too many students request a pass at the same time, some are placed on a waiting list. Once a pass is issued, students have three to five minutes to find and use an open facility before returning to class. Bathrooms are often also monitored by staff members who sit outside to ensure the rules are followed. And if students are using the bathroom or leaving class too frequently, they are given a set amount of time that must pass before they can leave class again.

A screenshot of one student’s phone documents “no fly time,” after several bathroom passes for the day have been used.

“This allows us to monitor who is leaving the class and when,” said Sollitto. “Thus far, this has been very successful in limiting student hallway traffic during class time.”

But not all parents or students are on board with the new system.

“The bathroom situation at Burrillville High School is unjust,” said BHS Junior Hailey Slekis. “When the student body was informed of the new rules that were to be in place, all of us were outraged.”

“This has made many kids uncomfortable and scared to go to the bathroom at school,” said one parent who contacted NRI NOW on the issue, but asked to remain anonymous out of fear that his child would face repercussions. “This is a completely unnecessary tool that they’re using on these kids to take their independence away.”

Slekis pointed to problems with limiting bathroom use between classes, and at the start and end of each period.

“This left students only allowed to use the bathroom during the middle of class, which most of the student body had argued was the most important time of each period,” she said.

Many others weighed in on the issue following a post on social media.    

“The digital passes aren’t working out,” noted Madeline Paulus. “It’s a human right to use the bathroom and theirs are being restricted or denied.”

Several parents noted that their child was forced to travel to the opposite side of the building because nearby bathrooms were locked, further limiting their allotted time. Others pointed to kids with Celiac disease or feminine needs.

“The policy is crazy, especially for the girls,” said Becky Marshall, noting that she’d heard several students had accidents, with some due to feminine issues.

Another said that while she didn’t agree with the policy, she could understand why school officials were using it.

One parent said she had to provide a doctor’s note for her son to use the bathroom whenever needed due to medical reasons. While she also said she did not agree with the policy, she noted that the school had been accommodating to the special situation.

Principal Michael Lazzareschi said that the electronic pass system is currently used by many school systems across the state. He noted that there are multiple bathrooms available for students, including more private locations in the guidance and nurse’s office.

“In addition to reducing disciplinary issues, students have commented that they appreciate less crowded bathrooms, which afford them some privacy, as well as having access to individual style bathrooms as needed,” Lazzareschi said.

But the pushback from many students, it seems, began last year following the change in enforcement. A petition on Change.org started by student Ashlyn Klawuhn in 2023 notes that a study by the National Association of School Nurses found that limiting access to restrooms can negatively impact students’ health and well-being.

“It is crucial that we prioritize our students’ physical health, mental well-being, and overall comfort within our educational environment,” notes the petition, which garnered 283 signatures. “By restoring a more accessible bathroom policy at Burrillville High School, we can ensure that all students have the necessary facilities available to them when needed.”

Similar debates have played out at schools across America as administrators look for ways to address problems such as vaping, destruction of school property and students just looking to get out of class. A search for, “unfair high school bathroom policies,” will bring up dozens of articles documenting complaints and student-led protests, particularly in recent years. Technology has become an increasingly common tool and while opinions are split, it seems many educators appreciate the decrease in distractions and increased student focus at the start and end of instruction.

Slekis, however, said the BHS policy has been difficult for students, who must register in advance how long they need to be gone from class. She said that if a student takes longer than the allotted time to return, they are written up.

“Many students have questioned what would happen if they were to use the bathroom and be in there longer than expected,” she said. “Administration answered by saying that the student should have already known how long they would take prior to leaving the classroom, and that the student should have used the bathroom in the nurses office instead if they were to take so long.”

She said that students have made their concerns known to teachers and administrators.

“After administration had informed us about the new rules and regulations the student body continued to voice their concerns, however it continuously has fallen on unjust reasoning or on deaf ears,” Slekis said.

School officials gave a different account, stating that there is no discipline for students that go over the pass time limit or number.

“No student is or has ever been disciplined for needing to use the bathroom,” Lazzareschi said.

“Students are not timed in the bathroom and no discipline is taken for students that have expired passes,” said Sollitto. “The timer is used as a guide and to limit the number of students in the hallway at one time.” 

Sollitto added that there has been discipline for students who have been caught vaping in the bathroom or otherwise behaving inappropriately.

On the question of locked bathrooms, Sollitto said that the only time that one would be locked for a long period would be for a clean-up or plumbing work. He added that, “no student is ever denied use of the bathroom.” 

“If there is an emergency or other extenuating circumstance and bathrooms are full or a wait for passes, the student can be issued a traditional pass and access one of our individual bathrooms in the main office or nurse’s office,” he said.

“This protocol began due to a majority of  BHS’ disciplinary issues occurring during passing time and in the bathrooms,” Sollitto said. “Last year, due primarily to this change, we saw a dramatic drop in our suspension rate at BHS.”

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7 COMMENTS

  1. It’s those slackers that have been using the bathrooms for smoking. This has been a problem since the school first opened, and I’m glad to see a solution for it since parenting at home is completely absent these days. Don’t let your kids become slackers McFly.

  2. This generation of young people are going to be so messed up in adulthood. All the freedoms we took for granted growing up 20, 30, 40 years ago are all but gone. Parking-need a paid pass, walking in the hallway-need a pass, bathroom-need a pass, locked schools are like prisons because of safety/security issues due to, too many wing-nuts that can’t control their guns. Security cameras watching students every breathe they take, no movement goes unmonitored today. What are we teaching our young people, to be paranoid and suspect of every person (good or bad)? This is a fleecing of America. Andy Rooney would be shaking his head in disgrace, RIP. What are we doing to our kids?

  3. I’m no Nostradamus, but I see a big, fat lawsuit coming to Burrillville over this. You cannot restrict basic human rights from people. These school administrators are completely out of control and should be fired. It’s not a prison, it’s a school of young, free Americans.

    My advice to any family impacted by this – contact the ACLU and make them pay.

    • It’s not just this school that has this new system. It’s not restricting anyone, it’s accountability, so they know during all the drills they need to do. They’re still able to go to the bathroom. Do I think people ruin it for certain people, yes, but that brings it back to the parents. Are the children able to utilize the bathroom prior to the start of classes, yes. Without the pass system, the bathrooms would still be full and they’ll still be waiting for a toilet. Now they can not skip some of the learning and might pass the class instead.

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