On Jan. 6, 2025, Middleton High School (MHS) students returned from winter break to find two large metal gates blocking the bathrooms near the Performing Arts Center (PAC) entrance. Interviews with students revealed that many were shocked and confused by the situation.
For the students, the gates had appeared nearly overnight. However, this decision was made with careful consideration and planning from the staff to remedy an issue that had cost the school district thousands of dollars in repairs.
“The two bathrooms in question had been continuously vandalized during the school day,” said MHS Dean of Students Erik Johnson. He explained that the vandalization had included excessive graffiti, broken sinks and broken stall doors.
“[These restrooms are] used for guests when school events and plays go on,” said MHS junior Rio Zhu. “I would assume they wanted to keep them clean.”
Johnson confirmed that “having broken bathrooms in a basically new school building was not a good way for the school to present itself to the community.”
Although vandalism was the main reason that the gates were installed, Johnson said that the usage of the bathrooms for areas where students could skip class also factored into the decision.
“Students were […] commonly hanging out in these bathrooms as a way to skip class,” Johnson said.
“Students choosing to skip class now need to use restrooms in more supervised areas.”
There were multiple factors that were considered during the decision-making process to install the metal gates, including how classrooms would be affected, if it would be possible to use doors instead of gates and how the PAC event space would be affected.
“Open locker room bathrooms are being [opened] for other classes on the first floor in the north,” Johnson said in response to the effect of the gates on classrooms.
For public PAC events, the gates are unlocked to allow guests to use them during performances and other events.
As for the debate between doors and gates, doors would have been ineffective relative to their cost to be installed because of the bathroom’s current layout. The bathrooms have large, doorless entryways, making the installation of door frames both necessary and expensive.
Johnson explained that student attendance in class could improve as a result of the gates, stating that “[a] student skipping class would need to relocate/be in class” as opposed to hanging out in these more unsupervised restrooms.
Mr. Johnson said that there were currently no future plans for the gates blocking the bathrooms, and described them as very effective in minimizing the vandalism within them.
“As a member of Student Senate, I can share that we have talked with staff about removing the gates,” said junior Lily Hanson, “but they are pretty resistant to the idea.”
The response from the student body regarding the metal gates was mixed, and although many of the students seem to understand the reasoning behind their implementation, some feel the gates create the appearance of a “prison” and remain wary of the decision.
“Some kids were vandalizing or vaping in there, but it still seems excessive to cut everyone off from using those bathrooms,” MHS junior Jennifer Dai said.
Many students wonder about the purpose of having a bathroom that they don’t have access to, which is the source of some animosity towards the implementation of the gates. Nevertheless, not all students share the same level of concern towards the gates.
“These seem really inconvenient, but at least there are some by the library,” said an anonymous MHS sophomore, citing a possible solution to the problems created by the now inaccessible PAC restrooms.
When it comes to the gates’ efficacy, both students and administrators had differing opinions.
“Obviously they’re effective; no one can even use them anyways,” an anonymous MHS sophomore said.
Johnson explained that the gates have saved the district a fair amount of money by reducing the allocation of funds towards cleaning the bathrooms after excessive vandalism.
“We haven’t had vandalism in those bathrooms since the gates have been installed,” Johnson said. “[The money] can be used for other building improvements or maintenance costs.”
Students were aware that vandalism was prevalent in the school bathrooms, and many agreed that it was effective in eliminating the action from the two bathrooms in question. However, there were still concerns about whether or not the gates solved the root of these problems.
“It could be argued that it may not be specific to that one set of bathrooms. If it’s hiding out and vandalism, then every bathroom could be the same,” an anonymous MHS junior said.
“If a kid is [going to] vandalize property, they will just do it when they can get in,” MHS senior Vasco Mangano said. “It is a problem that must be discouraged in a different way.”
The gates have proven effective thus far, and have kept the PAC bathrooms in better condition. However, it remains to be seen whether this will have an impact on student behavior in other, non-gated bathrooms.
