Bathroom neglect could lead to major problems in the future here at Schreiber

Has the “devious licks” challenge hit Schreiber?  The challenge has literally taken school bathrooms by storm, encouraging students to steal toilets, urinals, soap dispensers, and more.  Although Schreiber has not seen any stolen toilets or other bathroom equipment, its boys’ bathrooms have recently been flooded nearly every day.  Compared to previous years, when flooding occurred occasionally, its daily occurrence this year suggests a possible link to the TikTok challenge.
Although some students agree with the correlation, others are still ambivalent. 

“Personally, I think it’s possible, but I think the main cause of flooding is the overuse of toilet paper, messing with the knobs, and a poor plumbing system in Schreiber,” said freshman Spencer Cohen.  

Whether the flooding is deliberate or not is not entirely clear, as there are valid reasons why the flooding could have occurred accidentally.

Not only are students confused on the topic, but the administration is as well.  Schreiber Principal Dr. Ira Pernick asserted that it was certainly not a plumbing problem and directed an additional message to students.

“I always want students to treat the school as they would their home.  The school is a haven for over 1600 students and several hundred staff each day who all want to feel safe and secure.  When things don’t work or if anyone suspects mistreatment of the school that creates discomfort and can lead to fear and anxiety,” he said.

The principals also see the flooding caused by neglectful habits that are harmful to students and others.  

“Students hurt their classmates and the hard working custodial staff who have to clean it up.  Frankly, it is immature and very disappointing.  We expect more from Schreiber students,” said Assistant Principal Mr. David Miller.  

In other words, students are either using too much toilet paper or attempting to flush non-flushable objects.  Mr. Miller’s response alludes to the potential disciplinary consequences awaiting students who are repeatedly caught in the act.

Whether students are vandalizing the bathrooms due to the TikTok challenge or for various other reasons, it is necessary for school administrators to find out why.

The solution to this problem is difficult to find because the bathroom setting hinders surveillance.  Setting up cameras, for example, would violate student privacy.  The most feasible option is to advise students during the morning announcements to stop using so much toilet paper, or throwing non-flushable objects in toilets.  However, the chances of wrongdoers heeding such advice is low, considering that there is no way to prove fault.  

Another possibility would be to add a drainage system to collect the floodwater.  However, not only would this cost a lot of money, but the toilets could still become clogged.  After all, taking part in the “devious licks” challenge would surely fill the system with paper towels in order to cause as much disruption as possible.  

The principals were baffled as to why students would not be more careful to prevent toilet flooding.

“Students who are stuffing up toilets and causing flooding hurt themselves,” said Mr. Miller.  

Although the custodians have been fixing the flooding every time, what would happen if all the bathrooms flooded, making the situation too much to handle all at once?  Chaos would ensue if no bathrooms were available, and just because this has not happened yet, does not mean it cannot in the future.  Most likely, those who have flooded the bathroom have done so repeatedly, as vandalism in general tends to stem only from a small sliver of the population.  To avert further crises, the school should do everything it can to catch the handful of students causing mischief.

“All of our actions have an impact on others, something we should all remember when we walk the halls of our school,” said Dr. Pernick.  

Whatever the solution is, it is clear that the constant flooding cannot continue to happen, as this would be unfair to the custodians who work so laboriously to make sure the bathrooms are clean.  The custodians are the backbone of Schreiber, and without their support, the school environment would be uninhabitable.  We must not allow senseless destruction to undermine their underappreciated work.