Any guy who uses the bathrooms here at FUHS knows our campus bathrooms have a slight sanitation issue; and by slight, I mean huge.
When I enter the bathrooms I have to strategically plan every step just to avoid puddles of mysterious liquid. Toilet paper is always shoved down the urinals, bits of cafeteria food is smeared on the floor, and there is even the occasional spillover from clogged toilets.

While it may be an easy excuse, the custodians are not to blame. This is a problem created exclusively by the students.

There is a large issue with a lack of respect for our campus, and it’s showcased the most in our school restrooms.

Fernando Serna and Jim Crouch, two of FUHS’ custodial staff members, can attest to how quickly the school bathrooms get dirty.

“We clean every day and constantly check them. We’ll clean, and the next period we’ll go back in there and it’s a mess again,” Crouch said.

If rated on a scale from one to ten, ten being the dirtiest, the custodial staff rates the bathrooms a solid eight.

The messes they have to clean are outrageous. Gum can almost always be found on the walls and toilets.

“[We see] milk in the toilets, graffiti, lots of gum, stuffing apples [down the urinals]. Sometimes [the students] clog it and continue to use them,” Serna said.

Sophomore Josh Hanson agrees that the boys bathrooms are out of control, and proposes that we show more respect towards our custodial staff by making an effort to keep the bathrooms clean.

“A good way [to keep our bathrooms clean] is to actually care, and take care of the bathrooms by not creating a mess,” said Hanson.

Most if not all of the problems in the bathroom can be solved by people extending basic courtesies. Next time you need to get rid out your gum, instead of spitting it out on the floor, just walk to the trash can outside the bathroom. Be more intentional with your “aim”, and don’t shove trash down the urinals.

If we truly want to respect our school and staff, students must reconsider how we treat our bathrooms. A little bit of respect can and will go a long way.