Going to the bathroom at school is a hassle. First, you have to find an unlocked bathroom and wait in line for an open stall. Also, few bathrooms include mirrors, so you have to search for a bathroom with a mirror if you need it, even if that bathroom is nowhere near your class.

At the pep fest Feb. 14, Student Council announced that if students do the daily dress codes in the week leading up to Sno Daze, the council will buy new mirrors for the bathrooms. 

The Echo Editorial Board believes obtaining new mirrors should not be the Student Council’s responsibility, but the administration’s responsibility. According to Student Council adviser Sarah Lindenberg, the mirrors will be bought using the Student Council budget if a majority of students participate in dress codes. 

Additionally, The Echo Editorial Board encourages the Student Council to poll student opinion in the future through social media on what they would like to see in the school prior to making a final decision on what a prize will be. Polling would allow for more student voices to be represented. Although Student Council is meant to represent student opinion at Park, it is still important to remember that all individuals have their own opinions that will sometimes oppose Student Council opinion. It would have also been beneficial for students to receive more announcement reminders during the week about wearing the dress codes and more criteria on how we can win the prize.

The administration is responsible for making sure students feel safe at school and they have access to necessities during the school day. Having mirrors may not fall under necessities, but they are helpful and are something the administration should help pay for, if not fully fund. Having Student Council’s budget go toward mirrors also takes away from money that could go toward school dances, pep fest materials and more. 

There are also other problems in the bathrooms at school that need the staff’s attention. Currently, there are no locks on the stalls in the new boys’ locker room. This is very surprising with the locker rooms being a new facility, and some may not feel comfortable using the stalls because of a possible invasion of privacy. In addition to this, there are shortages on soap and paper towels in the bathrooms, the tiles on the walls are starting to fall off and there is vandalism that needs to be painted over. We encourage the administration to examine bathrooms more often and make sure the facilities are usable.

In conclusion, the Echo Editorial Board believes Student Council trying to fulfill the desire for mirrors in the bathrooms is a nice gesture, but it is ultimately the administration’s responsibility to continue improving our bathrooms.