School areas must be clean and reasonably decent for students to use during the school day. You would think that schools are required to follow a strict code for clean facilities, but it is still surprising how difficult it is to keep school sanitary facilities clean and up to date. Hand dryers are among some of the newer implements that solve less paper use and force students to use dryers for lack of paper towels. The toilet paper dispensers have been updated, helping the custodial staff do their jobs better. The custodial staff has also been updated on their cleaning supplies. They now use a reusable microfiber cleaning cloth instead of using a lot of cleaning paper towels.

There are some good things about how school facilities are maintained, but there are far worse things. Some schools have the money to completely renovate and upgrade their buildings, but others barely have the money for the right amount of books. Some sanitary facilities at the school are simply too old; some of these schools have been using the same facilities since 1970 and back. Students should be able to use the bathroom at school, without feeling like they are grossed out or feeling unhealthy. Restrooms should have no rust anywhere, they should have good clean lighting, water taps should be working so students can wash their hands, and generally there should be enough restrooms on campus for students to return to class in a timely manner.

Students should know that washing hands after using the bathroom is extremely important. Most high school students know it and tend to follow it, but other elementary students may forget it. This is how germs and diseases are transmitted through contagious interactions. Staff and faculty should encourage hand washing and custodial staff should ensure that students are provided with the proper amount of soap to use and that water taps are running at all times. Schools may know that their facilities are too old, but they cannot ignore the changes that must be made forever.

Some of the problems that persist in the restroom areas of certain schools are the destruction of restrooms by students. Some students insist on writing on the walls, not flushing the toilets, and even leaving the water running when they leave the bathroom. School faculty and staff must create some type of disciplinary action or consequence to prevent students from continuing destructive destructive behavior in the bathroom. This is one of the main reasons that teachers may also refuse to fix bathrooms, because students will not stop creating problems for the school to try to fix.

It is not always the fault of the school when the facilities are not up to date, but it is a problem that can be solved with the help of students and teachers. Restrooms are available to everyone, so everyone needs to learn to use and respect them properly, just like a school classroom or your own bathroom at home.