Peoria Unified district proposes bathroom remodels to manage student behavior

The Peoria Unified School District is considering remodeling bathrooms at two high schools so that staff can better monitor students.

It's an effort to manage student behavior and curb disciplinary infractions that occur in bathrooms, where "staff supervision and visibility is minimized," said Acting Superintendent Kevin Molino during an April 25 governing board meeting.

Molino said he's spoken with students and parents who say that "students are uncomfortable using restrooms because other students use it as a hangout spot."

The proposed bathroom remodels are also an effort to provide badly needed updates to decades-old bathrooms in the district and improve accessibility, Molino said.

The district's plan calls for remodeling one set of male and female bathrooms at two high schools: Cactus and Ironwood.

Peoria: mothers condemn school district after coach arrested, accused of sexual conduct with minors

The remodeled bathrooms would have wide entryways open to the hallway so that passersby can see into the sink areas, according to initial renderings presented at the meeting. The partitions between the stalls would extend from floor to ceiling, but the doors to the stalls would have an open space of between 6 and 10 inches for safety reasons.

The remodeled bathrooms would also have vape sensors in each stall and cameras outside the restroom to monitor the entryways and sink areas.

Currently, each bathroom has a door to the hallway and a small passageway with a sharp turn that blocks sight of the sink area.

The governing board's response to the proposed bathroom design was mixed. Most members agreed that student safety and privacy must be balanced. Board member Heather Rooks opposed the plan, saying she thought it interfered with student privacy and didn't want "complete, open visibility" into the bathrooms.

"Bathrooms are a tough space on a comprehensive high school of thousands of adolescents, and the situation at Ironwood and Cactus needs to be addressed," said governing board member Bill Sorensen. "I don't know if this is the answer ... but we do need a systematic way of collecting student feedback."

Mikah Dyer, a senior at Ironwood who is running for a spot on the governing board, said during public comment that substance use happens in restrooms and that he thought the proposed upgrades would make restrooms more comfortable for students.

The district plans to get feedback from students, families and staff in May. The bathroom remodels would then be added to the district's list of capital projects. Molino said he didn't have a timeline for the renovations since the district has many unfunded capital projects. Once the remodels reach the top of the capital projects list, the district plans to contract an architect for the final design, which would take into account feedback from the school communities, Molino said.

At the April 25 meeting, the board also voted to approve a resolution calling for a $120 million bond election in November. Money from bonds is used for capital purposes.

Peoria Unified is not the only district trying to find ways to manage student behavior inside restrooms. In the fall, Mesa Public Schools' governing board voted to purchase vape sensors for restrooms at 20 middle and high schools to prevent kids from using e-cigarettes. These devices heat liquids that contain nicotine or other chemicals, including THC, the high-inducing compound found in marijuana.

Reach the reporter at mparrish@arizonarepublic.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Peoria Unified School District proposes bathroom remodels