What's wrong with your school bathrooms?
Less Vapin' More Poopin' đđ
If vaping in the bathrooms prevents students from using the bathrooms, or itâs gross to see vape pods in toilets, the solution is making it cooler to poop than to vape.
At your next assembly or pep rally, or even at the beginning of a class or at lunch, say:
Raise your hand if you have ever not gone to the bathroom because people were vaping in there.
This will make it clear that most of the school is against vaping.
Next: when someone leaves class to go to the bathroom, ask them, âHey, are you going to vape?â
Ask everyone. Even people who are obviously just going to the bathroom. When they get back, say, âGone a long time there buddy, what did you get up to in there?â
Make it funny. Make it so, so annoying. Get people in all different friend groups to do it. This is funny shaming. Youâre not narking on anyone, youâre not picking on anyone, youâre not giving them a chance to talk back, but youâre making it clearly lame to vape.
If that doesnât work, negotiate
Ask the people who vape what sucks most about school. What would they be willing to give up vaping in exchange for?
Push past the non-answers like âthereâs too much homeworkâ and âlet's make the school day shorter.â Youâll probably hear an answer you agree with.
Now youâre 10x more likely to change whatever their problem is because you have negotiating leverage. The vapers have committed to stopping if the change is made, and admin does not want people vaping. Get it done.
Learn to negotiate with admin and win here.
Time for a Poo Pass
Everyone gets a once-a-day pass that lets them come 5 minutes late to class if they were pooping.
The pass is only valid during passing time, and if you come late to class when there's a test, you don't get extra time.
"But everyone will know I was pooping!"
Who cares bestie EVERYBODY POOPS. Turn it into a meme.
Set it up with one teacher:
Subject: Question about passing time and bathroom use
Hi [Teacher's Name],
I frequently have to use the bathroom before our class and passing time isn't always enough time [optional: say why, like "because the only sanitary bathroom is on the other side of the building"].
Would it be alright if I was a few minutes late to class sometimes? I'm happy to talk more about ways to make this work best for you.
Thanks so much for understanding.
Regards,
[Your Name]
Set it up with a strict teacher:
Use the same email template but be ready for them to say no.
Reply by citing research studies that prove the importance of having time to go.
The way passing time is set up can cause long term urinary health issues, here's a chart from research I read about this.
I'm willing to lose a few points off my grade for my health, but I won't just show up late without your permission - having a good relationship with you is important to me. Can we find a compromise?
A few extra minutes is all I need. Maybe just once a week?
Set it up schoolwide:
Try this with one teacher first. See if it works. Try doing it with all students in your class. A great class to start this in is health because your teacher would totally give you 10 minutes of class time to pitch it.
After it's worked, set it up schoolwide.
Make a copy of this google form and get as many students to fill it out as possible. 20-25 should be enough to start.
Subject: Question about passing time and bathroom use
Hi [Principal's Name],
Many students have to use the bathroom during passing time, but [#]% don't have enough time according to a survey I ran [optional: say why, like "because there are long lines outside the bathrooms"].
Would you be open to instituting a "passing pass" where students can arrive to class a minute or two late without receiving a tardy, maybe once a day?
I'm happy to talk more about ways to make this work best and send you research on the long-term impacts of holding it in, as it's important to my health and the health of my peers.
With hope and gratitude,
[Your Name]
Not sure how the pass would work? We'll build an app for your school for free :) reach out to ben@fix.school with details!
Fixing gross bathrooms is gonna take funding đ¸đ¸
Here's how to get a lot of it.
Prove there's a đđ˝ problem
Weâre going to use a strategy adapted from Project CLEAN, an effort to clean up school bathrooms in 21 states and 6 countries.
Ask students to fill out this form. 25-30 responses should be enough, but the more, the better.
Go through a few bathrooms with a four senses inspection - use this checklist
Build trust đ with the principal and the custodians
You NEED their support to get shit done.
First custodian interaction: say âHey how are ya!â in passing.
Second interaction: Learn their name.
Third interaction:
Hey I wanted to thank you for all the work you do here and apologize for how nasty the bathrooms get.
Email or talk to the principal:
This is really a health issue. And a big one. Bring up these two studies in any and every conversation you have about this.
Main conclusion? Bad bathrooms with too few tampons cause long term health problems.
You've got the big evidence, now get evidence for your school.
Subject: [your grade: 9th/10th/11th/12th] grader working to improve bathrooms!
Hi [Principalâs name]
[#]% of students I surveyed don't use the bathroom because there are no hygiene products there, and [#] bathrooms I inspected haven't had any for weeks. Please consider three possible solutions:
- Pressing the district office for more funding (we're only talking $200-300 dollars to mitigate what's becoming a long-term health risk)
- Partnering with custodians to regularly check and refill bathrooms
- Allowing students to submit work orders when they need more hygiene products
You do so much to keep this school running, and I know school bathrooms arenât your top priority. Itâs an important issue for me (lots of students don't use the bathrooms all day here!) and I want to start pressing for change.
Your support would be invaluable - are you free to talk about this?
With hope and gratitude,
[Your name]
If you specifically want funding for tampons, replace "hygiene products" with "tampons" in the email. Tampon talk is okay, see? Try pressing this button:
We đ bathroom glow upsâ˘
For vandalism to stop, you need to get district support for cleaner bathrooms while making it cooler to create bathroom glow ups⢠than ruining them.
Weâre going to use a 5-step strategy adapted from Project CLEAN, an organization thatâs cleaned up school bathrooms in 21 states.
1. Build trust đ with the principal and the custodians
You NEED their support to get shit done.
First custodian interaction: say âHey how are ya!â in passing.
Second interaction: Learn their name.
Third interaction:
Hey I wanted to thank you for all the work you do here and apologize for how nasty the bathrooms get.
Email or talk to the principal:
Subject: [your grade: 9th/10th/11th/12th] grader working to improve bathrooms!
Hi [Principalâs name]
You do so much to keep this school running, and I know school bathrooms arenât your top priority. Itâs an important issue for me (lots of students hold in their poops at school!) and I want to start pressing for change.
Over the next couple of weeks, I will:
Collect survey data from students on their bathroom experiences
Take detailed inventory of issues in our bathrooms (which stall doors are broken, what smells bad)
Listen to teachers, students, custodians, and the district building manager about feasible solutions
Suggest a one-page restroom improvement plan to you outlining finances and sustainability
Would you be open to me pursuing this? I will handle all the work outlined above, but your support would be invaluable.
With hope and gratitude,
[Your name]
2. 
Get that data, take that inventory.
Make a copy of this google form and get as many students to fill it out as possible. 20-25 should be enough to start.
Go into a few bathrooms and run a four senses inspection - use this checklist. Make sure to get a friend to help you hit guys, girls, and gender neutral bathrooms.
3. 
Choose a group to talk SOLUTIONS with
Ask coach(es) if they'd be open to have their athletes clean up a bathroom. Show them the survey data you collected, and explain that "you can't make a tackle with a brick in your tummy."
At the next pep rally, the football team storms in with plungers. They tell poop jokes and encourage people to respect the bathrooms, asking everyone to stand up, then "take one step forward if you've ever not gone to the bathroom because you felt uncomfy there," and so on. They build solidarity. They start cleaning the bathrooms once a month.
This solution is perfect if you think cleaning up is a one-time or monthly problem (people won't come right back in and ruin the bathroom right after you clean it).
Every club, sports team, or health class gets assigned a bathroom to take care of. You collab with a custodian to clean the place and submit "work orders," or claims to the district about damage, when something breaks.
Custodians will love your help, and you'll need support from them setting up the work order system.
Turn it into a competition (sexiest bathroom, best place to take care of business 2023, nicest smelling bathroom). Put superlatives for this in the yearbook.
If everyone dresses up for spirit week and shows up to football games, this shouldnât be a problem. But if school is more cliquey or people donât really care⌠Youâre gonna need social referents, a behavioral psychology secret to change minds and motivate people.
This solution is perfect if you're worried about vandalism continuing even after you clean bathrooms, or if admin isn't willing to invest in bathroom renovations because they think students will keep vandalizing.
By running a student-led bathroom cleaning campaign, vandalizing the bathrooms won't be a fun activity anymore. Vandalism is a "fuck you" to the school, but nobody wants to say "fuck you" to the person sitting next to them in algebra.
Get permission from your principal (and a "yes" from the custodian) to let students paint over graffiti in the bathrooms. Ask the art teacher for help, too!
You have to make sure it's not going to be "funny" for people to graffiti over the art. You could either:
illustrate the bathrooms with graffiti - so everyone can contribute without conflict
talk to people who vandalize and ask them what kind of art they'd want to see - now you're giving them choice and agency while also making sure they won't want to paint over it
One person is in charge of maintaining your school bathrooms: the central office manager/director of buildings/grounds. The exact name depends on your school, but this person runs every aspect of building operations. A roll of toilet paper gets ordered? They know about it. New ventillation in the gym? They know about it. A stray cat poops on the soccer field? They know about it.
Subject: [your grade: 9th/10th/11th/12th] grader working to improve bathrooms!
Hi [District Building Manager Name]
I've surveyed [#] students on our bathroom conditions and [Y]% said they don't go to the bathroom when they have to at school because of bad conditions.
Would you be open to talking about ways space can be made in the school budget to improve this? I'm free after school on [list days/times you're free, eg "Mondays and Wednesdays until 5pm and Fridays 1-3pm"].
Thank you for all you do to maintain [high school name].
With hope and gratitude,
[Your name]
Your principal and your teacher friends will be able to tell you if this is a good person to reach out to, or if there's someone else who might be able to make more of a difference.
We can email every parent in your school district explaining why your school's bathrooms are broken and how to fix them.
Reach out to guzovsky@princeton.edu with your survey data and completed checklist, your school's name, and a list of parent email addresses: we'll take it from there.
4. Put together a 
plan
If you don't need money for repairs, you're already done. If you do, you'll need to get the decision approved by the district, and sometimes by the school board as well.
You can also call a plumber like in the urinal dividers section, asking them to do it for free in exchange for free advertising. Or... fundraise with this guide.
If you do, put together a restroom improvement plan from this template.
Print it out and put it on your principal's desk! From here, it's out of your hands. You can and should go to the next school board meeting and bring this up (wear a rubber glove on your and bring pictures to make a point), but your principal should take it from here.
5. Wait 
Maybe your principal wasn't interested. Or the school board didn't seem excited. It might be time for a nuclear option.
When Nothing Else Works:
- If you have teacher's u nions in the top three tiers on this list, get their support first. If your teachers union is currently on strike, ask them to add $10k for repairing school bathrooms to their demands. If they say they canât add student needs to demands, say âcommon goodâ demands have been successful in dozens of school districts and do not go against teacher negotiating rights.
- Is the principal part of the local principal's association? Does he go to those meetings? Ask to make a pitch there.
- Run a protest: line up 50 people on the football field, take your shirts off, face away from the camera and pretend to take a leak. Call a journalist.
- Post your survey data and checklist results online, ideally in your town/city facebook group.
Speaking up for a good cause can only help your college or job application. Hereâs a template for what to say if you get in big trouble and need to explain it in your application.
Get some 
urinal dividers
Students at Saratoga HS, a public school in California, wrote an op-ed in the school newspaper. They called the article "Urinal dividers: We want more."
They negotiated with administrators. They sent constant emails. The administrators added urinal dividers.
The first thing you should try is asking.
Your school spends around $60 million a year: you can look up the exact amount and learn more about how schools spend money here.
They can afford urinal dividers.
Ask a lot. When teachers ask you how your day is going at the beginning of class, mention the gross bathrooms. Send this email template to administrators (start with the principal, but know that you may need to call in the superintendent). Ask your friends to send the same email. Ask your parents to send it.
Email for you to send:
Subject: Show our lavatories a little love?
Hi [Admin's Name],
Could you consider [installing new toilets / fixing holes in the bathroom walls / adding urinal dividers - whatever you want fixed] this year? Bathrooms are a basic need, and the need is not being met for all students here.
Are you free to meet and talk about how this could fit into our budget? I'm free [List some times that work for you - or cc the principal's secretary on the email instead].
[Optional: look up school finance data and say, eg. "I looked at our spending last year and saw that we spent >$100k on textbooks last year, even though all students only use the digital versions of the books. Lets discuss this and other opportunities to cut costs."]
With hope and gratitude,
[Your name]
Email for students and parents to send in bulk:
Subject: Show our lavatories a little love?
Hi [Admin's Name],
Could you consider [installing new toilets / fixing holes in the bathroom walls / adding urinal dividers - whatever you want fixed] this year? Bathrooms are a basic need, and the need is not being met for all students here.
[I/my child/my friends] don't feel comfortable using the bathrooms in school because they are [describe problem]. I'm sure there is room in the budget for repairs: [my/my child's/my friends'] physical wellbeing should be high on the school's priority list.
We have nothing but respect for the work you put into making [school] a safe, welcoming learning environment. Thank you so much for considering this.
With hope and gratitude,
[Your name]
If admin says eh, here's what you say back:
If admin doesn't think it's important: Collect data. IG poll your followers a simple question: "Do you poop in school?" High numbers are your evidence. Cite studies that show the negative health effects of gross bathrooms.
If admin says they don't have the money: go directly to the source, plumbers.
Email local plumbers asking for them to come fix up the bathroom for free in exchange for...
- Flyers sent home with every student advertising their service.
- Banners advertising them at sports events.
This agreement has to be informal because the school can't approve that type of quid pro quo. Meaning you'll have to get those flyers into everyones' backpacks yourself. It will also help to make friends with your custodians, because at the end of the day they're the only people who have to be involved. Admin has their own bathrooms, they'll honestly never know if someone came in and repaired the student ones. Custodians have seen the bathrooms you have to use and will (hopefully) support you, as long as you're not asking the plumber to tear up the whole floor.
If admin think students are the problem, and that people are always going to graffiti/smoke/start fires in the bathroom, ask them if they've ever seen drug deals happen in the Ralph Lauren store bathrooms.
Wait. Don't use those words.
Express that people don't respect the space right now because the space doesn't respect them. Nice bathrooms will change how students act in them. For evidence, ask them if they've ever been at a school that upgraded or renovated to a new building - did the graffiti and vandalism stop? Their answer will probably be yes - it's definitely what we've heard from teachers!