Last Updated on July 28, 2022 by Michelle Ball
By Michelle Ball, Sacramento California Expulsion, Special Education, sports/CIF, College, Education and School Attorney/Lawyer for Students since 1995
Students should have adequate supplies and relatively clean bathrooms in school
(a) Every public and private school maintaining any combination of classes from kindergarten to grade 12, inclusive, shall comply with all of the following:
(1) Every restroom shall at all times be maintained and cleaned regularly, fully operational and stocked at all times with toilet paper, soap, and paper towels or functional hand dryers.
(2) The school shall keep all restrooms open during school hours when pupils are not in classes, and shall keep a sufficient number of restrooms open during school hours when pupils are in classes.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a school may temporarily close a restroom as necessary for pupil safety or as necessary to repair the facility.
Starting the Gross Bathroom Complaint Process
If issues exist in student bathrooms, a parent may file a complaint with the Principal.
unsanitary and spread disease in schools
What Is Enough to Formally Complain?
Just what might warrant a complaint? Here are some examples, taken from a form which used to exist at the Office of Public School Construction:
– Toilet damaged or missing
– Toilet leaking or clogged
– Bathroom sink damaged or missing
– Clogged floor drains or sink drains
– Faucet/pipes damaged or missing
– Electric hand dryer damaged or missing
– Stall doors or locks missing or inoperable
– Toilet paper/paper towel dispensers missing or inoperable
– Soap dispensers consistently empty, missing or inoperable
– Paper towels or toilet paper consistently missing or unusable
– Floors, walls, or ceilings consistently unclean
– Trash not emptied consistently
– Toilets/urinals consistently unclean/unusable
– Restroom closed for extended period
– Other bathroom issues
If any of the above issues exist in a school, a complaint can be filed so the student’s bathroom situation can be addressed.
Timelines for Complaints and Responses
According to the California Department of Education, the following timeline should be followed:
If the Principal needs help with the complaint, he or she is supposed to send it to the school district within 10 working days of receipt.
Solutions to the bathroom problems should be completed within 30 working days.
The Principal’s responses to the initial school bathroom complaint should be sent to the parent within 45 working days.
Appeals Filed with State
If a parent is not satisfied the disgusting school bathroom issues are resolved, they may appeal the findings to:
Ask Students About the Bathrooms
With the worsening condition of our schools and their facilities over the years, and the inability of parents to go into student bathrooms to inspect, it is certain that many bathroom fixes are needed.
Ask your kids how their bathrooms are and their condition. Bathrooms should be the least of their worries when they are running to a math test.
[originally published August 26, 2014]
Students rights lawyer Michelle Ball assists parents with remedying problems in schools. As an expulsion, suspension and all around student attorney in Sacramento, California, Michelle Ball may get involved throughout the state in locations such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Roseville, Lodi, Paradise, Clovis, Palm Springs, and many other towns.
