“I just do my business and leave,”

Freshman Divya Thakuri said, when asked about the Hayfield bathrooms.

Ideally, every student should be acting the same: going to the bathroom and leaving after they are done. However, over the past two school years, one issue has reportedly increased: the usage of drugs in Hayfield bathrooms. 

When it comes to the bathrooms at Hayfield, many students have differing opinions. Some feel uncomfortable and go as far to avoid using the bathrooms during the school day. 

“I’ve heard about people doing other drugs in there [the bathroom], and I haven’t personally witnessed it, but I would like to be able to use the bathroom without [seeing] drugs,” senior Matt Caldwell said. 

Additionally, other students share a similar opinion on how the bathrooms make them feel. 

“I mean obviously I’ll feel safer and better if that wasn’t a problem at this school, to have the feeling of using the bathroom freely and not worry about that stuff,” junior Jeremy Friend said. 

Others feel that there is nothing wrong with the bathrooms and have become experts at avoiding interactions with students using drugs.

“Using the bathroom is such a small portion of my school day and I don’t encounter those people outside of the bathroom. I just continue on after I have my minorly awkward moments with them,” Senior Ruth Melese said. 

The bathroom is something that should not be actively avoided during the school day. It is unfortunate that some students have ruined what should be a normal, regular thing. 

Hayfield students have differing opinions about solving this ongoing problem. Many of them also acknowledge the difficulty to completely prevent it from happening. 

“I don’t know how much they can do since it’s a massive school, and like there’s only so many teachers and faculty,” Caldwell said. “People are going to do what they want, whether there are rules put in place.”

With a lack of fear for consequences, students have opted to continue breaking the rules.

“I’ve encountered people doing it, and they’re not trying to hide it or anything even though admin could walk in at any second,” Melese said. 

The Hayfield administration has also made it clear that drug usage does not go unnoticed, nor is it taken lightly. Interim principal, Matthew Mough, has stated that Hayfield Administration addresses drug related issues provocatively through SEL lessons, student and parent engagement, and their partnership with Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist, Bryan Villalobos. There are consequences for anything that involves violating the SR&R drug abuse protocols, and if matters are necessary then student resource officers (SROs) will be involved as well. 

“We are always concerned when our Hawks become involved in substance abuse for their own health, and also how it impacts the overall school,” Mough said. 

Although there is a certain stigma associated with drugs at Hayfield, administration has made it clear that it is not ignored at all. Administration has also stated that they have tried their best to funnel kids to certain bathrooms so that they can monitor to try and minimize the misconduct in the bathrooms.

Despite ongoing efforts to solve the drug issue at Hayfield, it is clear that drug use continues to be a problem in unmonitored areas.

“It’s a little uncomfortable because you know we come to school to learn and socialize, and you know doing drugs is not usually a part of it. But some people choose to do that still,” said Caldwell.

Hopefully with increased efforts of closing the bathrooms, going through with SEL lessons, and more actions from the Hayfield administration, the drug problem at Hayfield will decline so that students can feel more comfortable.