Being in school for seven hours a day, or even longer, depending on what your commitments are after school, it is inevitable that you will have to use the bathroom. In my four years of attending a high school, it is common practice to raise your hand to ask to go to the bathroom, and many times, teachers will say no.

Yes, being in class is important, whether it’s to hear directions or just having extra time to finish assignments before the bell rings. But, teachers cannot expect students not to have to go use the restroom or get a drink of water.

I’m sure many students can relate to being asked, “Is it an emergency?” or “Why didn’t you go during passing period?” Getting from one end of the school to another with the number of people walking makes it almost impossible to stop to take two minutes to use the restroom without being late. When students are late, detentions are issued, so can I really make it during passing period?

Of course, there are times you shouldn’t be asking to leave the classroom, like maybe during a test or when the teacher is talking, but sometimes you just can’t help it. When a teacher asks if you really need to go, it can be embarrassing, especially when the whole class is hearing the teacher deny you.

In many of my classes, teachers give out slips that only allow you to use the bathroom four or five times each semester, and once those times are up, you aren’t allowed to go anymore. I’m sure many can agree that only being able to use the restroom a few times within five months is not realistic.

While I can understand the frustration teachers have with kids asking to go every day and missing important things or being gone too long, but ultimately, that is affecting those students and their education. If students are gone longer than five to six minutes, there should be consequences, but that shouldn’t determine the answer for the rest of the class.

I think it’s respectful to raise your hand and ask to leave, especially since you are on someone else’s time or might be interrupting something going on, but I also think teachers shouldn’t be allowed to straight-up say no to someone asking to use the bathroom. I can understand if they ask to wait a few minutes so they can finish directions or finish their assignment, but I don’t think it is right for someone to be told that they cannot leave.

This is something many students at West can agree on, and I think some things need to change with students being denied to use the bathroom. Yes, there are times when it’s better to go, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out like that.