2000 students vs. one set of bathrooms. Every day starts the dreadful routine of long lines and never-ending hallways. Constantly tardy and with grunts of disappointment, Troy High School students struggle with the lack of restrooms available for use.

Many students, like junior Lindsay Burke, are frustrated with the repeatedly closed bathrooms. 

“I find it really annoying,” she said. “They always seem to be closed for reasons that they don’t tell us.” 

Likewise, junior Mason Glaub feels the same about the conflict.

“I don’t like it when the bathrooms are closed,” Glaub said. 

As a result of the locked bathrooms, students may often face the troubles of distance. 

“If I’m on the third floor and the bathrooms are on the first floor,” Burke said. “It takes me a long time to get from the third floor to the first floor.” 

 “I think there should always be at least one set of bathrooms open,” Burke adds, “and that teachers should allow more time for students to go to the bathroom.”

But what is the root of all these problems? Principal Remo Roncone explains the situation.

“Our building is 30 years old and has mostly original plumbing in all of the restrooms,” Roncone said. “With any aging mechanical system, things wear out.” 

In addition, he mentions the reason behind the numerous closed bathrooms.

“To add to the issue the six main bathrooms in the academic wing are all on one line and connected. So, in most cases, if one bathroom goes down, they will all need to be shut temporarily.”

Roncone explains potential steps the district might take towards fixing the bathrooms. 

“Bathrooms are also something that we could and would address if the upcoming bond is to pass,” He said. “That would allow for much greater resources to be put towards the issue.”

But how can students help with the matter? According to Roncone, many of the issues with the bathrooms are avoidable. 

“So far this year all of our clogs have been due to paper towels, toilet paper, and feminine products. We have signage to try to prevent people from disposing of things improperly but unfortunately, that still does happen from time to time.”

Despite the issues, the school has already started taking steps towards a better future. 

“We were able to get almost all of the original sink hardware replaced, install hand dryers, use a different type of paper towel and fix/replace many of the main issues,” Roncone said. “There is still more to be done but it will be done in phases.” 

Much of Troy High’s future heavily relies on the upcoming bond, especially the bathrooms. With the bond, the district will have the funding to improve the school restrooms towards a more permanent solution.