An in-depth interview with Redwood Principal Dr. Brandon Gridiron regarding the new policies in the bathroom, and how they came to be at Redwood, regarding safety and on-campus environment.
By: Abigail Ray
In a previously written article featured on the Gigantea, the student views on Redwood’s new bathroom policies were shared.
Students shared their grievances with the policies, not understanding the “why” behind the new rules.
The new policies introduced are as follows: Bathrooms are closed at the first 10 minutes and the last 10 minutes of each class period, but all bathrooms are open during instructional times, and during passing periods.
“The policy is that bathrooms are closed during instructional time, the first ten and last ten minutes of any class period. That’s just to make sure that kids are getting to class on time and supervision is appropriate on campus,” Redwood Principal Dr. Brandon Gridiron clarified in his interview.
During passing periods, select bathrooms remain open, including those in Ranger Hall, the Science Building, and Sierra Vista campus. These locations were chosen because they are “centrally located and easier to monitor,” Dr. Gridiron explained.
So why are bathrooms closed? What’s the real reason behind the new policies implemented?
Dr. Gridiron gave us an in depth explanation, delving into the idea of campus wide safety along with student safety in bathrooms.
Since bathrooms are so private, many things can happen inside that are against school rules and regulations, leading to dangerous behavior and situations.
The purpose of the constant supervision of these areas help improve the safety of our school, however, without the explanation of the why, students weren’t aware of the purpose.
Despite the administration’s good intentions to keep Redwood’s campus safe, students were not properly informed of the changes when the policy was first implemented.
Students went into the school year blind, having no prior knowledge of the policy changes, causing frustration and confusion among all grades.
In the interview with Dr. Gridiron, he acknowledges this, saying, “we realized that students didn’t know that. It was very unclear. We didn’t communicate that out. We didn’t do a very good job of communication.”
Photo Gigantea
Moving forward, the administration plans to improve transparency by involving students more directly in decision-making for on-campus issues. This includes seeking student voices through “Principal Advisory meetings, student forums, and open feedback channels,” as listed by Dr. Gridiron.
“We can’t create an experience in an environment for our student body without seeking their input,” said Dr. Gridiron.
Students with concerns or feedback are encouraged to reach out via email or join the Principal Advisory group. Assistant Principal Ms. Vaca, who oversees campus safety, is also available to answer further questions regarding the policies.
Abigail Ray
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