Freshman Academy bathroom limit policy reversed

CLOVIS — Parents of Clovis High School Freshman Academy students understood lost instruction time was a No. 1 priority for school administrators.

But they felt a policy the school announced Wednesday, and subsequently flushed Thursday, was a well-intended effort that missed the mark and created issues downstream.

The policy announced Wednesday informed parents that to reduce lost instruction time to the restroom, students would receive punch cards limiting them to five in-class breaks every nine weeks, and that students were encouraged to use the restroom during lunch or the four-minute breaks between classes.

Parents of CHSFA students didn’t take the news sitting down, and made emails and calls the next day to ply the school with requests for another solution.

Principal John Howell responded to a Thursday inquiry from The News with a release also sent to parents that said, in part, “After further reflection … the decision has been made to retract the original announcement and find another resolution.”

Laura Wight has two children in the Clovis school district, including a son at the freshman academy.

She said hearing about the policy was a disappointment for many reasons, including the lack of input from the Parent Advisory Committee she serves. For Wight, the Wednesday evening email following overwhelmingly positive parent-teacher conferences earlier in the day was out of character for the school and the district.

Policy issues Wight highlighted in a discussion with The News include uncomfortable scenarios for teenage girls still new to managing menstrual cycles, punch cards adolescents were bound to lose or forget at home and reduction of teachers’ ability to manage their own classrooms - all for a policy she doubts administrators could follow themselves.

Wight conceded instruction time was an important issue, but couldn’t imagine many students were abusing current restroom privileges.

“This seems like a really severe, knee-jerk reaction to that handful of kids,” Wight said. “They’re restricting the entire student body based on the bad behavior of a few.”

The note from Howell continued that the school will continue to target lost instruction time, but would respect students’ personal needs and ensure their safety and that “CHSFA administration, teachers and students will be involved in creating a positive resolution to this concern.”