The rationale behind this new regulation was, in my opinion, reasonable. Students had polluted the sanctity of the bathroom environment by smoking and, in many instances, vandalism. Clearly, this unacceptable behavior had to be corrected. I believed (and still believe) that my principal's solution to this problem was well-intentioned but both inadequate and inappropriate.
The policy mandated that the bathrooms would be open only during scheduled classes (not between). This meant that if a student needed to avail himself of the "facilities," he would be required to waste valuable time that should be used for instructional purposes. The policy decreed that a teacher on duty would be assigned to unlock and lock the rest rooms for each student. The instructor / monitor would be responsible for the cleanliness of the lavatories after each use. This was a complete misappropriation of the teacher's time.
After investigating the problem thoroughly, I wrote letters to the principal and superintendent explaining our predicament. I failed to receive any responses. Then I took stronger action: I wrote a letter to focus attention on our situation. (Please read the enclosed letter now.) I distributed numerous photocopies of this document throughout the school. Much to my surprise, I heard that some teachers had actually read the letter to their homeroom students, accepting it as official school policy. Other students, after reading my letter of protest, wrote additional letters to the principal asking that our rest room policy be modified.
The administration (whether because of my protest or not) has altered the system slightly. Currently, the bathrooms remain locked between classes. Teachers continue to patrol the rest rooms. However, during class time, several students may use them simulatenously. While my goal was not completely achieved, I was able to initiate a compromise settlement and a small (but not trivial) change.
While this individual problem is not a serious national crisis, it does represent a larger federal affliction. Civil rights are constantly being disregarded both by citizens as well as by public officials. Each citizen must defend his/her own rights. Whether or not he/she obtains significant results is not as important as the fact that he/she is trying to preserve liberty for everyone.
