MCHS senior Janielle Rios enters the bathroom during a passing period. After waiting in a grueling line, she finally sees an open stall. Once inside, she sees that the walls have been plastered with vandalism. Random quotes, profanity and opinions paint the walls.
It is no secret that like most schools, MCHS has a problem with students vandalizing the property. Whether it’s the bathroom stalls, locker room or blended learning spaces, students and staff can see the signs. And issues like these are no secret to the rest of American schools.
According to Cultris Security, “In the 2021-2022 school year, 35.8% of surveyed public schools in the U.S. reported incidents of vandalism.”
For the current school year, MCHS numbers have been riding steady with only one major incident so far, lower compared to previous numbers. The school has been trying to enforce measures to stop these actions.
“It was pretty big back when I was an SRO 2014-2018 but currently we have only had one incident so far,” says student resource officer Richard Rewiako.
While numbers may be dropping compared to years before, this is not the first time MCHS has dealt with various forms of vandalism. In the 2021-2022 school year, the TikTok trend coined “devious licks” encouraged students to steal and vandalize their school. This trend mainly took place in the bathrooms.
It seems that even four years later, bathrooms are still the most prominent place for students to vandalize, mainly due to the privacy it offers.
You would not believe some of the things we have found in there,” says director of building and grounds Hugh Flack. “Sometimes it can be really challenging, and I feel bad for my staff.”
Throughout the years, many people have tried to answer the questions as to why students feel the need to vandalize their school and the property. Many assume it’s because of peer pressure, peer revenge or revenge aimed at the school.
“I think for some kids, it’s a distraction. I think for other kids they think it’s fun to do this, it’s kind of a challenge[for them],” Flack states.
“I think people do it because they have nothing better to do, and it’s just a way of entertainment for people … I think they might need a distraction or they just might need more discipline,” says senior Janielle Rios.
The bathrooms are often the most targeted place for school destruction because there are no security cameras, making it difficult to discipline students and identify those who vandalize the school.
But nevertheless, MCHS continues their efforts to stop the spread of student destruction.
“I would say just try to get security in the bathroom as much as possible,” Rewiako said.
Students also feel that the vandalism is unnecessary and conduct methods the school could do in order to address the issues.
“I think that the school should take more serious measures like maybe an assembly announcement or a warning email,” Rios says.
Students should take into consideration the staff work and school pride before ruining their school grounds.
“I don’t think there’s really any good reason to vandalize the taxpayers paid for,” Flack said. “And for me and my staff, it’s a little bit of a slap in the face.”