Hundreds of students walked into Terra Linda on the first day of school to find that their bathrooms had undergone a complete redesign, with new features and layouts throughout. The implementation sparked opinions, with some criticizing the awkwardness of the westernmost restroom or the removal of mirrors. However, many praised the newfound safety and security of the floor-to-ceiling stalls and the introduction of tampons and pads in the male bathrooms for transgender students. These new designs differed heavily from TL’s old bathrooms, with no resemblance to the old ones. Along with addressing previous shortcomings, the project ultimately led to success.
For one, the general design was entirely redone. A modern look was applied to each, featuring sleek architecture and a minimalist design. There were also fewer opportunities for littering, as the towel dispensers were located directly above the trash cans. A new layout was also introduced in some of the restrooms, featuring more open space and room to move. Exterior doors were no longer present, nor were the mirrors. Both aimed to increase the efficiency and safety of facility use, allowing students to spend less time in the bathrooms overall.
One of the largest issues present in the previous restroom models was the lack of safety in the stalls. Instead of traditional flimsy doors with foot-wide gaps between them, sealed doors were introduced. Students no longer had to worry about being looked at over another stall or being subject to unsolicited comments or harassment. Soundproofing was also provided to each door, adding an extra layer of security and reducing the audibility of sounds to the public. Keys were also distributed to staff in the event of an emergency, such as seizures or fainting.
New technologies, like automatic sinks and soap dispensers, were added to the new bathrooms, decreasing the spread of germs. Additionally, automatic hand dryers were installed, making the bathrooms more environmentally sustainable. Among these amenities, vape detectors were arguably the most significant. In the past, fire alarms would go off nearly every other week, and sometimes within a few days. These incidents often resulted from students using vapes or e-cigarettes in the facilities. With the new vape detectors, a silent alarm is triggered, and the administration office is notified, allowing them to take immediate action. Staff are then able to review the security footage to see who walked out of the bathrooms following the alert.
The efficiency and effectiveness of the bathrooms were greatly improved through several factors in the remodel. For one, the removal of mirrors was implemented to reduce the time students spent in the restrooms. While most students found this change somewhat irritating, the school deemed it necessary and recognized that it would be beneficial for time management. Additionally, every stall was decreased in size to prevent another issue the school found prominent: eating. While the administration did its best to minimize this problem, completely eradicating it was impossible due to the need for wheelchair-accessible bathrooms. Generally, though, the cleanliness of the facilities was significantly easier to maintain thanks to the redesign, which offered fewer opportunities for trash to be scattered and food to be dropped.
Terra Linda students’ advocacy also led to a change in the new bathrooms. Because only the boys’ bathrooms were given the open layout, complaints rose about the inequality. Sophomore Logan Russell noted the strangeness of the latest layouts being applied only to one of the bathrooms, “It’s weird that only the boys have [the new bathrooms]. It’s kind of sexist.” While the bathrooms were well-received by parents, some students were skeptical. These concerns eventually led to a change after an interview with Principal Dunlap, who noted that “there was no logic to [the different layouts being split by gender]”. Only a few days after the interview, the upper bathrooms were switched. Mrs. Dunlap’s willingness to listen and take feedback ultimately resulted in a beneficial change for all.
These bathrooms, along with the few modifications, have made more people feel safe, provided easier use, and reinstated the core purpose of restrooms – to use them.
