Web posted
Monday, February 25, 2008
Winfield school has messy problem
By JUDITH ZACCARIA
Courier Staff Writer
Someone has been messing in the boys' bathrooms at Winfield Middle School, causing school officials to get involved and try to stop the behavior.
Off and on for almost a year, someone has been urinating and defecating on the floors of the three restrooms, and school officials have no idea who is doing it.
As a result, a week ago Tuesday, after someone left a calling card again, principal Dennis Gerber ordered two of the boys' bathrooms locked.
"It went on some last year," Gerber said. "We tried to get the boys involved. Asked them to make suggestions about what we could do about (the problem). They had no good suggestions."
When school resumed in August, there was another incident, and once again, the boys were gathered and asked for whatever help they could give.
No further incident occurred until Feb. 12, the date on which Gerber ordered the two bathrooms closed.
The restroom still open has three stalls and three urinals. It is farther to walk to than the other two, so students aren't using it very much, Gerber said.
Students have four minutes to walk between classes, and for many, that is not enough time to get to the bathroom. According to Gerber, students can ask the teacher of their next class to give them permission to go to the bathroom.
According to one student, who asked not be named, some teachers have policies on how many times a student can ask to go to the restroom during a semester. And some teachers do not allow students to go to the restroom out of their class at all, the student said.
Gerber said he is surprised no one has stepped up with information about the perpetrator. When told that some students have said the locked restrooms makes them feel like the place is a prison, Gerber said, "We do not want them to feel like the school is a prison. Somebody put us in this position.
We want to get this kid help, but we want him punished first. He needs help.
Somebody is sick. This is obviously not normal behavior."
Only one parent has spoken to him about the bathroom closings, he said.
And at least one student said the behavior is disgusting.
Nothing has changed about the situation, Gerber said Friday.
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