A hoard of impatient students appears in the office. Dozens of sighs and muffled whispers emanate from the huddled masses. Their eyes glare as another joins their ranks, holding the precious jewel, the arrival of which they have all been eagerly awaiting: the bathroom key.
     A new, stricter bathroom policy was put into effect at South-Doyle High School on Monday, Jan. 30, and the consequences have caused students and teachers to pay more attention to the clock.
     “I believe this will change the standard for how people view us,” said Tim Berry, principal of South-Doyle.
     Berry devised this system, which is based on the one enforced by Principal Davis last year, as a result of massive amounts of graffiti, vandalism and tobacco use, as well as a fire back in December. He believes this is a major step in redefining South-Doyle.
      “We (South-Doyle) are judged by our facilities,” said Berry.  “I don’t want people to think of us as an ‘inner-city jail.’ This will send a message that we care about how our facilities look.”
       To complete a trip to the bathroom now, first, the student’s teacher must sign the yellow hallway pass. Then, the student reports to the campus’s office where they must sign the bathroom log. After that, he is given a key to unlock the bathroom. Next, he must re-lock the bathroom door and return the key to the office (or the next student in line). Finally, the student must sign the bathroom log again in order to receive the yellow pass once more and return to class. Only one set of bathrooms per campus are accessible by students now, excluding B building, which will use the bathrooms in the main campus building. Students are only allowed to use the bathrooms after 15 minutes into class and before the last 15 minutes of that class, as well as during class changes.
      While the majority of restrooms are closed temporarily, they will be renovated. These changes will include all new toilets, several new urinals and sinks, new floors and ceilings and a fresh coat of paint. Also, all of the bathrooms will be equipped with sensors and “enhanced technology to minimize tobacco offenders,” according to Berry.
      This new policy has been met with mixed responses from the student body. Some students are for the new system to cut down on vandalism and smoking.   
     “I believe that all crimes deserve fitting consequences, and this consequence fits the crime,” said Junior Abdalla Husain. “People at school complain too much. They complain when students smoke in the bathrooms, making everyone present smell like smoke, and they complain when the principals try to stop it. However inconvenient the bathroom policy is, it is purely intended for the betterment of the school.”
      Other students feel the new method is too restrictive and punishing the wrong people.
       “I’d say it (the new policy) is fairly out of proportion like most of my classmates do,” said Senior Tyler Wadsworth. “This seems like an extreme we shouldn’t be resorting to at this point.”
     Berry is looking in to and considering other, less restraining solutions including those used in other local high schools. For the time being, however, Berry said the student body must earn the right to have the original bathroom policy reinstated.