Since my first day of freshman year, I have been handed three restroom passes per term in at least half my classes.When teachers hand them out, they bribe you with the possibility of extra credit. As a person with a relatively small bladder, this is an issue.

I go to the restroom at least twice per school day, and I run through my passes within the first week. This is where the problem arises. After I use all my passes I am told that I can’t go to the restroom without owing class time. This system is completely unjust and I should not be punished for staying hydrated. I recently spoke to one of my teachers about this subject and she said that even if I run out of passes, she cannot stop me from going. Passes just exist to stop traffic and limit students from missing out on class. However, not only is this solely personal teacher interest, the idea that students are neglecting school is faulty.

For decades, classes have been lecture based. If you chose to go to the restroom, you were missing out on your own merit. But in today’s age, a chromebook based environment, where if you miss something in class you could look it up in Google Classroom, restroom passes should cease to exist.

Since we already have hall monitors, school staff shouldn’t go above and beyond to try and limit the use of restrooms during school hours

Using the restroom is a basic human need like eating, breathing, and sleeping. It makes me wonder why this basic human necessity is being regulated.

Many teachers’ first response when a student asks to go to the restroom is immediately inquiring on why they didn’t go at lunch or during the passing period.

Well, I eat at lunch. It is the 25 minutes of my school day where I can take a break from the mental strain and stress of school. I am not going to waste that time going to the restroom. This scenario is a lot different when it comes to class,however, where I could easily ask what I missed from my neighbor or the teacher.

Not to mention that if I decide to get school lunch, which is a decision over 50% of the school also makes, the length of the line and how long it takes to finish my food, would, no pun intended, consume all of the lunch period.

However, this will only ever be followed by that abomination of a question.

“Why didn’t you go at lunch?”